Fallen
by Confusedknight
Summary: Kicked out of Page training, Kel becomes entangled in a bitter struggle for the suffering people of Scanra. Four years later she returns to Tortall, a stranger to those who once knew her, a stranger who has not forgotten the promises she made...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Any characters or places that you recognise all belong to the literary genius of Tamora Pierce.

(-a/n- Hello! It's been quite a while since I wrote fanfiction and I've been having a nice break, in which I've been very busy with lots of schoolwork and plotting my own novel… This fic is an idea that I've had for a very long time, but just never had time to write 's a bit different to what I've written before, but I hope that you will enjoy it all the same…This fic will be based on several songs, the main one being Fallen by Sarah McLachlan, as I find that music is great fuel for the imagination. Please read the song lyrics, and hopefully in time you'll see how they fit with the fic.

As ever please review, it really does encourage me to update sooner.

**Confusedknight xx**

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_**Fallen by Sarah McLachlan**_

_Heaven bent to take my hand  
And lead me through the fire  
Be the long awaited answer  
To a long and painful fight_

Truth be told I've tried my best  
But somewhere along the way  
I got caught up in all there was to offer  
And the cost was so much more than I could bear

Though I've tried, I've fallen...  
I have sunk so low  
I have messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so...

We all begin with good intent  
Love was raw and young  
We believed that we could change ourselves  
The past could be undone  
But we carry on our backs the burden  
Time always reveals  
in the lonely light of morning  
in the wound that would not heal  
It's the bitter taste of losing everything  
That I have held so dear.

I've fallen...  
I have sunk so low  
I have messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so...

Heaven bent to take my hand  
Nowhere left to turn  
I'm lost to those I thought were friends  
To everyone I know  
Or they turned their heads embarassed  
Pretend that they don't see  
But it's one missed step  
You'll slip before you know it  
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed

Though I've tried, I've fallen...  
I have sunk so low  
I have messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so...

It was the end of the King's Tournament, which took place every two years at the end of summer and the crowd milled about in happy expectation, waiting for the King to present the trophy to the tournament champion. It was a knockout tournament, in which everyone from commoners to the Crown Prince was eligible to compete. The only rule of the tournament concerning entry was simple; the King and his Champion were not allowed to take part. The rounds were held over a period of two weeks and from each match would emerge a winner who would make their way into the next round. In each match the winner was the person who could make the other competitor yield. Every year their were many hundreds of entrants and the matches in the first few rounds were normally short, one person being experienced and the other a low ranking solider, or commoner who had just entered for fun.

As the tournament progressed however, the matches were longer, opponents more equally matched and skilful. This year the tournament was being organised by Lord Wyldon of Cavall and Sir Gareth of Naxen the younger, both of whom had been washed under by the amount of organising it took to run such a large tournament. Fortunately many knights who were too old to compete, had offered to oversee the matches and check that no foul play occurred.

Now, at the end of a very long and busy two weeks, King Jonathan IV stood looking hot and bothered, next to his Champion Alanna. The Lioness was still not on good speaking terms with the King and looked thoroughly bored of waiting around. She was itching to talk to the tournament winner, discuss swordplay and even challenge her to a friendly duel. Raoul stood behind them with Gary and Lord Wyldon, who were both waiting patiently for the presentation.

After what seemed like an age, the signal was given and as the King stepped forward a hush fell over the huge crowd.

'Citizens of Tortall,' he began 'Friends from abroad, all who are gathered here today, we are proud to present a sum of one hundred gold nobles to the winner of the King's Tournament.'

At this declaration a massive cheer emerged from the excited crowd. The sound died as suddenly as it had come, as the crowd split in two, allowing a woman to walk to the platform where the King stood. She had light-brown hair, although the top was more blonde in colour, bleached no doubt by the same sun that had tanned her skin. She was dressed simply in plain shirt and breeches, a well-used sword hanging at her side in a plain scabbard. Her gaze was level, and her face was devoid of any emotion. The King had to admit to himself that this woman intrigued him; he had certainly not expected someone so young or indeed even a woman to win. As he watched she reached the front of the stage, seemingly ignoring the crowd that was jostling for a better look at her and climbed up the steps onto the platform.

To Raoul, the whole proceedings were getting very tedious; he had been standing in the sun for a long time now, first to award the archery Champion and then to receive his award as Champion of the Joust, again. Now he just wished that Jon would give the woman her reward, and let them all retreat into the shade and cool of the palace. Just then the proceedings took an interesting turn.

Jon had just requested that the warrior kneel, as was custom, so that the warrior could pledge their allegiance to the King and receive their reward. But the woman had said in an even tone,

'No.'

Raoul had to hide a smirk at Jon's flabbergasted face, and he took a closer look at the female warrior who had just defied the King. He thought personally that it would be good for Jon to be taken down a peg or two, but in front of the crowd that was gathered, listening intently, now was not the best time for it to happen.

'I think I must've misheard you?' said Jon, trying to keep his voice calm and light.

'I said no,' replied the woman in a bored voice, not looking directly at the King.

Raoul admired the woman's courage, she was either extremely brave, or extremely stupid.

The King was now getting over his initial shock and was starting to look annoyed and a little angry.

'Your name Lady Warrior?' he demanded, struggling to keep his voice even. 'As your King I command you to kneel. You owe me your allegiance…'

After a pause the woman replied, with a hint of bitterness in her voice, 'Keladry of Mindelan...and I owe you _nothing_.'

For a moment she stared directly into Jon's eyes, her hazel eyes blazing so fiercely that Jon almost stepped back. Then she turned on her heel, dodged the guards that stood nearby, jumped off of the platform and sprinted away.

There was instant uproar, mainly because the Tournament champion had just insulted the King and disappeared. But the few who understood the full significance of those words stood still in absolute shock. Keladry of Mindelan. The girl who tried for knighthood. Missing presumed dead. And now tournament champion.

Jon ran his hands through his hair despairingly and Alanna was filled with a savage triumph that the Mindelan girl had become a fine warrior after all. Meanwhile, a group of squires were all talking excitedly, except Nealan of Queenscove who looked as shocked as Gary felt. Lady Ilane of Mindelan was weeping into her husband's shoulder; their daughter was alive, after all these years.

Raoul did some quick calculations in his head; the girl must be about fifteen. Gods above she looked far older than when he'd last seen her, three and a half years ago. He shuddered. He didn't think that he'd ever forget…and judging by the horrified looks on Lord Wyldon and Domitian of Masbolle's faces, he didn't think they'd ever forget either. How could he, Dom or Lord Wyldon face her after what had happened?

He glanced around at the shocked or happy faces, wishing that he could feel happy that she'd returned, instead it had bought to life what he'd been trying to forget for over three years. And guilt lay heavy on his heart, they had failed her, the Crown had failed her, the justice of Tortall had failed her. And at that moment he could fully agree, she owed Jon nothing.

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**(-a/n-** Intrigued? I hope so. Next chapter I'll be going back to the beginning (when she gets kicked out) and filling in all the gaps.)

**Confusedknight x**


	2. The beginning

**(-a/n-** Wow! Thanks for all the amazing response :D You've really no idea how happy it makes me. And look at the result…an update on a school night!!! I've had a bit of a crazy day today, which involved burnt toast, dancing penguins, a lot of rain and weird jelly balls that we made in chemistry…but anyway. This chapter is going to go back to where the story officially starts; when Kel gets kicked out. The first chapter was just a tantalizing snippet of what's to come, so hopefully you'll enjoy the story of how exactly Kel ended up their. So it will cover the four years after she was kicked out, and about 2/3 months after the tournament. Well that's the plan anyway… This chapter will start with quite a lot of text from the book, changed slightly so please bear with me, and I will enforce yet again that all the characters and the places yada yada, do not belong to me, but to Tamora Pierce.

**Do you know Emily Davison, manicpony24, Crazy Lady Knight, Anon i mous, shamrockgirl07, Mrs. Dom Masbolle, kayla ryan, Me, On top of cloud 9**

**Erytha**You're officially my first reviewer! Yay go you! Lol! Thanks :D

**Luna Dust**lol it was only a matter of time! Fanfiction is addictive :D

**nativewildmage**I love the song too, it's quite embarrassing if I look on my play count for it on my mp3 350 plus times! Lol! Glad you're interested.

**SarahE7191**yeah, just to clear this up. She left the palace when she was eleven. Then when she was almost 12 something happened…and she ran away…lol that's all I can say…

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**lol! Jon definitely isn't one of my favourite characters :D lol!

**Eclipsa**Thanks! That's exactly the effect I was hoping for!

**Aly the Spy**lol! No I was just having a rest :D hehe

**Confusedknight xx**

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Lord Wyldon came to the lectern. 'I know you all wish to pack. Get to it. Keladry of Mindelan, report to my office at the next bell.'

'I'm sorry,' whispered Merric. He got up awkwardly and fled the room.

'You saved my life,' Seaver added, his voice cracking. He hugged her one-armed around the head as if she were one of the boys, and followed Merric out.

When none of her other friends moved, Kel forced herself to rise and pick up her tray. 'Have a good summer,' she whispered, and took her things to the servants for the last time.

She had thought she'd resigned herself to being packed off for good. From the way her food turned to a lump in her belly as she trudged back to her room, she hadn't done it as well as she'd imagined.

There was a letter from her mother on her bed. With all the preparations needed for Kel's older sisters Adalia and Oranie to be presented when the court social season began that autumn, her parents had come to stay at their Corus town house for the summer. They looked forward to seeing Kel there. As Kel read the letter, her gloom deepened. She could not stay in town with her parents and sisters. She might encounter people she knew from the palace. How could she live in the city, watching knights come and go knowing she would never be one of them?

_I'll ask them to send me home to Anders at Mindelan, _she thought sadly. _They'll understand. _It was a good idea, but the thought of the 'I told you so's' that her sisters-in-law would hurl at her made her cringe.

Her sparrows were nowhere to be seen as she entered her room. They had rejoined the flockmates who had stayed behind, whilrling round the courtyard to celebrate their return. Now they chattered as they perched in the small tree in the courtyard.

'I'll miss you,' whispered Kel. She would ask Daine if she would still take Peachblossom. With two daughters to present at court, her parents would be hard pressed to buy a warhorse as well.

Thinking of the birds and Peachblossom, she felt her eyes sting with tears. _I am _not _going to let him see I've been crying, _Kel told herself. Fetching her glaive, she did an exercise dance to pass the time.

The dreaded bell finally rang. Kel put her glaive down, combed her hair and washed her face. Then she walked to Lord Wyldon's office, feeling like a prisoner on the long walk to the gallows.

The servingman bowed to Kel, then opened the door and announced her. She entered the office, listening to the door as it closed at her back.

Lord Wyldon stood with his back to her, staring through a window that opened onto one of the palace rose gardens. Was he looking at the flowers, she wondered, or maybe at the nobles who lingered there as skies grew dark?

'You sent for me, my lord,' she said.

Lord Wyldon sighed and turned. 'Sit down, girl.'

Kel hesitated, then sat.

Wyldon absently massaged his right arm. 'I want you to listen to me. I speak to you as I might to one of my own daughters.'

Kel blinked at him startled.

Lord Wyldon noticed Kel's surprise with an inward grin, despite himself. _She probably thinks that I'm a miserable old man who lives alone. Not a married man with four daughters. _He sighed, _she will hate me for what I'm about to say. But I believe that it's the right thing to do, someday she's going to wake up to the reality that the Lioness was extraordinary, once-in-a-hundred-years person. And that if she carries on in this way, one day she is going to get hurt, badly hurt. _

'Now that you have made your point, consider the future. Soon your body will change.'

_Mithros above why was he doing this?_

'The things that you will want from life as a maiden will change.'

If Lord Wyldon had had less control over himself, he would be flushing red with embarrassment right now. He didn't discuss things like this even with his own daughters, he left that to his wife!

'Pursue the course you have, and you might be crippled by an accident. What if you should fall in love? What if you came to grief, or caused others to do so, because your thoughts were on you heart rather than on combat? This year was easiest.'

He noticed the slight change in Keladry's expression as she obviously fought to control her anger. Again he sighed, he was not happy with himself for doing this, but he felt that someone should. She might be innocent of seeking affection, but he'd seen the way that some of the boys looked at her when she wasn't looking and he wouldn't permit distractions of any form.

'Do not answer me now. Go home and think about it. You will someday see that I am right.'

'I can't come back then?'

The training master shook his head wearily.

'No, you can't.'

Kel was about to say something, make him change his mind, but she stared into his cool brown eyes and saw that he'd made his decision. She got up and left without a word. This unnerved Lord Wyldon, who'd been expecting her to shout or cry or do _something, _instead of just looking at him with those piercing hazel eyes.

A barb of doubt flickered in his will, but he pushed it aside. She was a distraction. She'd caused too many fights. She had to go.

Once outside Lord Wyldon's office Kel rested her head on the hard, cold wall, her head a mass of swirling emotions, numb with shock. The finality, her dreams crushed, all ended in a single moment. Her dreams had shattered around her, and what could she do? Pick up the pieces? Carry on trying? Give up? Accept it?

Somehow she made her way back to her room, and curled up on the window seat, her head resting on her knees, arms clasped protectively around her. She wasn't crying. She was too numb to feel anything much at the moment. She had considered not being allowed to stay, even planned for it, but the reality had hit her far harder than she had expected

She heard a knock on the door and with a jolt realised that the sun had truly set. How long had she been sitting here?

Just then Neal's tentative voice called;

'Kel, are you in there?'

She remained motionless, not deliberately ignoring him, but merely frozen in indecision. Several minutes later he called out again.

'Kel, I know you're in there. Please let me in, I'll sit out here all night if I have to, but I really don't want to as this floor is rather uncomfortable.' Still Kel ignored him, looking out over the city, dark but for the lights that found their way around cracks in the curtains or doorframes.

'I'm coming in, Kel.'

There was a glowing around the door, and the magical protection vanished. The door swung open to reveal a tousled-haired Neal.

It took Neal a moment to adjust to the near pitch darkness of the room, but soon he spotted Kel, still seated on the window frame.

'Kel?' he ventured.

'I can't stay,' she said softly, in answer to the unspoken question.

Neal kicked the door shut behind him and used his gift to light a lamp that sat on Kel's small desk. Blinking in the sudden glow of light, he surveyed his friend. Neal was five years older than Kel, but despite the considerable age difference, he'd never found a truer friend. He felt a lump forming in his throat. Kel still stared out of the window.

Seeing that Kel wasn't moving, he went and sat down next to her, searching his best friend's face for some sign, some hint as to how she was feeling, but her face was as blank as an empty canvas. Her eyes however, portrayed a different story as she stared out into the night, lost and confused.

Neal reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. They sat there for what seemed like hours. Saying nothing, both comforted by the other's presence.

He didn't ask what she was planning on doing, and for that Kel was extremely grateful. She didn't know herself and sitting here in the dark alongside her best friend, prolonged the time when she could put of that decision, so she said nothing.

Eventually Neal stood up and bustled around behind her back. Kel thought he was going to leave. But instead she felt a pair of strong arms, lifting her eleven-year-old frame off of the windowsill and placing her gently on the bed.

Neal tucked her into her bed, and then sat down on the covers reaching for her hand which lay beside her. His green eyes brimmed with emotion and yet still he said nothing.

'Neal?' said Kel eventually.

'Yes?' he ventured.

'Oh… I don't know what to say,' she said in a whisper.

'Neither do I…except Kel, never give up.'

Kel looked up in surprise.

'Don't you understand, I can't come back. Not ever. How can I not give up?' she said, her voice breaking slightly.

Neal looked at her helplessly, 'Knighthood isn't all. You can still help people in other ways.'

'How?'

'You'll have to decide that yourself,' he said quietly. 'But the Stump won't get away with this. This is unfair. Knight's are meant to fight for justice…'

Kel snorted slightly, 'Since when has Lord Wyldon ever treated me fairly?'

Neal shrugged. They sat in silence for a while, lost in their thoughts.

'I'm going to miss you,' said Kel heavily.

'Me too,' said Neal his voice choked, 'You're the best friend I've ever had. You've taught me so much…'

'I just wish…' Kel started but trailed away.

'What?'

'Never mind…don't let Joren and his gang bully the new pages next year.'

'I won't, I'll never let anyone bully someone else in front of me ever again,' Neal said fervently.

'Well at least I've made a little difference…'

'Kel, you've made all the difference and I won't forget you, not ever.'

'You make it sound like I've died,' said Kel in a lame attempt at a joke. In truth it felt like a part of her had died.

'Sorry,' mumbled Neal.

Kel climbed out from under her blankets and sat beside Neal, dangling her short legs off the edge of the bed, next to his long ones. Neal put his arm around her in a friendly hug and rested his head on top of hers. They sat there for what seemed like forever, savouring their last moments together.

'You'd better go,' said Kel eventually.

'Will you still be here in the morning?'

She shook her head, 'Explain to the others, they won't understand. But...I don't think I could face them.'

'You shouldn't be ashamed Kel…' started Neal.

'I'm not ashamed, I tried to make a difference, change something and I did my best. No, I'm not ashamed. I'm just not sure what to do now.'

'Will I ever see you again?' he asked, his voice cracking.

'Someday, I'll return. I promise. I swear that one day I'll return to the palace, and I'll show them that they were wrong. I'll never give up fighting.'

'I know you won't,' said Neal, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

'Goodbye Neal.'

They hugged one last time and then parted.

Kel sighed and turned back to her room, her eyes still dry and her face emotionless.

_One day, _she thought, _they'll regret this day, the day they took my dreams away. But they'll never make me stop, I'll never give up. I'll keep on fighting, just to make the smallest of changes, I'll never give up. _And although she didn't know it then, it would be this attitude that kept her alive over the coming years.

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**(-a/n-** So…what did you think? Please tell me, I'm dying to know! What did you think of Kel and Neal's reactions? Please review, it was a long chapter after all :D )

**Confusedknight xx**


	3. Leaving

**(-a/n- **!!! A record number of reviews!!! I'm so unbelievably happy! When I started this I was a bit apprehensive, especially as I hadn't really written a story like this before, and as the plot is quite overused I wanted to make it unique and I'm so glad that you all like the plot so far :D So keep reviewing and I'll keep writing :D I have three more days of school left and then holiday so updates (should) become more frequent!)

**brezzybrez, ****alynawatlovers, ****Luna Dust, ****Crazy Lady Knight, dawnstar28, oirishgoddess, s****hadowgryffyn, Ace Ryn Knight, Kayla,** **Deadmen's Bells, Jo, shamrockgirl07, Golden23, alynawatlovers, Me, AMulata, Kelroxmysox, manicpony24 & dancerboy8.**

**nativewildmage**lol! I know, poor Kel and Neal :(

**Erytha**It's going to continue in a logical order from now on, and eventually we'll arrive at the scene in the first chapter, and everything will make sense :D

**red rose of love**No, it's not a Kel/Neal, they're just really good friends despite the age difference, I mean Kel is only eleven…no romance…yet :D

**Pie of Doomeh**Thanks, I always imagined that Kel would tell Neal, but not everyone, that would just be too awkward.

**SarahE7191**nope she's not going to do any of them. Hopefully my idea of what she does with her life will be original, although it won't seem like it for a few chapters.

**On top of cloud 9**well…the burnt toast in our common room continually sets of the fire alarm, and then this girl starts shouting 'world war three take cover'…(it's a long story) and then my other friend bought this penguin that dances and wiggles it's bum to a rather sinister version of the sorcerer's apprentice! It's the most hilarious thing I've ever seen, and we keep setting it off in lessons and our chemistry teacher chucked it out of the window, where it lay wiggling in the hedge…

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**I wish Neal was real! Lol that rhymes, thanks for reviewing (as always!) –author smiles at trusty reviewer :D -

**Camilla2 **yeah I've had this idea for over six months and now I've finally had the time to sit down and write it up :D

**queenoftheostlers**yep, I'm addicted to fanfiction ! Nice singing in the church today! I'll have to tell you all about our escapades, but that was the most hilarious carol service of my entire life!

**Confusedknight xxx**

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The next morning Neal was awoken by a heavy hammering on the door of his room. Groaning he sat up and opened his bleary eyes. At that moment four boys burst into his room. Merric, Seaver, Prince Roald and Cleon all stood in front of him with dismayed looks on their faces. 

'Kel's gone!' Merric burst out.

Then memories of the previous night flooded back to Neal in painful torrents. Kel wasn't allowed to stay. Kel had gone.

'I know,' said Neal heavily.

'The Stump can't do this,' exclaimed Seaver angrily, 'She was better than the rest of us. It's not fair.'

'She didn't say goodbye,' Cleon said indignantly.

'She left late last night, or early this morning,' said Neal, trying hard to concentrate on the conversation, but it was difficult when his mind was whirling with so many thoughts.

'She said something to you,' stated Roald perceptively.

Neal tried to smile, but failed, and nodded his head instead.

'What did she say?' demanded Seaver.

'Not much,' Neal replied truthfully, 'She didn't tell me where she was going or what she was going to do. To be honest I don't think she knew herself, but she wanted us to carry on training, and to continue to fight against the bullies.'

'Do you think she'll become, well you know, a girl?' asked Merric worriedly.

'She was a girl,' Cleon pointed out bitterly, 'That's why she got kicked out.'

'No, I mean a girl-girl, with face paint and everything,' asked Merric.

They all looked at Neal expectantly.

'I don't know,' he sighed, 'But Kel won't give up, she'll keep on fighting.' He had to say it out loud, make himself believe that she would be alright. But doubt kept creeping into his heart. If she couldn't train at the Palace where would she go? Perhaps to the Yamani Isles, but even there she would only be trained in the _naginta _or some kind of women's archery.

'Are you coming to breakfast?' asked Cleon in a subdued manner.

'No, I'm going to enjoy my lie in, as it's the first day of the holidays,' replied Neal glumly.

'Ok, but do you want to see if we can find the Mindelan's town house? Kel might be there,' said Merric.

'I think we should just leave her be,' said Roald gently, 'If she wants to contact us she will. Give her some time to gather her thoughts.' And with that he steered the three pages out of Neal's room. Giving Neal a sympathetic smile, he followed them out.

Neal flopped back onto the bed, but he knew that he wouldn't get back to sleep. He simply had too many thoughts crammed into his head.

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Kel hadn't gotten a wink of sleep that night, but had packed up all of her belongings into a trunk at the foot of her bed and laid her glaive and bow next to it. She wearily folded her page uniform on the bed, with a pang of sadness that she would never again wear the uniform, or train with the other boys. 

She had then scribbled a note to Stephan, asking him to find a good home for Peachblossom or to ask Daine, as she felt that she couldn't ask her family to buy him or pay for stabling. She left the address of her parent's house on top of her trunk so it could be sent there and she also left two coins, one for Gower and the other for Salma.

She was wearing loose breeches and a shirt, her dagger and sword strapped around her thin waist when she slipped out of the Page's wing for the final time. She left the palace quickly, seen by no one except the dozing guard at the palace gate.

When she reached her parent's house, she let herself in with a key taken from her belt-purse. Her father and mother were still awake sitting in the study. Kel pushed open the door and went in.

'We just received this,' said her mother, showing Kel a letter with the palace seal on it.

Her parents face were Yamani smooth yet their eyes were filled with pity.

Kel fought back a lump in her throat, 'It was always a possibility, and like I said when I started, I still know more than I did a year ago.'

Ilane of Mindelan rushed forward to hug her daughter.

'Oh Kel, life is _so_ unfair sometimes.'

Kel nodded into her mother's warm embrace.

'What do you want to do now Kel?' her father asked, his voice rich and soothing.

'I thought maybe go back to the Yamani Isles?' she questioned, turning her head to look at Piers of Mindelan.

'Well your father and I have to stay in Corus for the season to present Adie and Oranie.'

'I don't want to stay here,' said Kel quickly. It would be torture, knowing that the others were all still training, not to mention that she would have to attend Court functions and would probably see all of her friends still enjoying themselves as pages.

'Well you could go to Mindelan,' said Ilane slowly, 'But Conal is staying there at the moment, as well as Patricine, Anders and his family.' Kel didn't like this idea either, Conal would bully her as relentlessly as he had done seven years ago and she would also have to endure unpleasant comments from Anders' wife, not to mention all the other boys who lived in Mindelan.

'I don't want to go there either,' said Kel quietly.

'Well I don't see where else you can go Kel. Next year you can return to the Islands with us, that's not a problem, it's just where can you stay for a year?' explained Ilane.

'Well, she could always go to the City of the Gods,' suggested her father. 'It would be a useful experience, you could learn the other half to being a Lady in Tortall. Then after a year come back with us to the Islands, then whatever you decide to do with your life you will know the very basics at least of Tortallan etiquette.'

Her father was as diplomatic as he always was and Kel had to admit it wasn't a bad plan. She would be far, far away from Corus, yet also far from Conal and her sisters. The skills she would learn at the Convent didn't interest her much, but then again she reasoned their might come a day, when like Alanna the Lioness she was required to be a Lady. Maybe she could find a guardsman up there who would train her…It was only for a year after all… But then again it was the _Convent. _Everyone would think she'd given up, realised the 'error' of her ways and was trying to redeem herself. The old Yamani proverb drifted into her head.

_Ladies of the Yamani Isles are both beautiful and deadly. _

That's what she would be; beautiful and deadly.

'You know, I think that's a good idea Piers,' said Ilane, having mulled the idea over in her head. 'Our other daughters have all learnt a lot from the Sisters there, and it will be good for Kel to meet some girls her own age.'

Kel would've liked more time to think this over, but it seemed like her parents had decided for her.

'It will take a while to travel to the City of the Gods,' said her father.

'But the new term doesn't start for months,' reasoned Kel.

'The Convent term starts sooner than the Palace's,' said a new voice from the doorway. It was Adie, 'I think that a spell at the Convent will do you a world of good Kel.'

'I'll call Simonn and ask him to arrange a coach to the North for sometime this week,' said Piers, getting up and leaving the room to find the manservant.

'Kel, I'll send a letter ahead with a sum of money so that you can get some dresses made and buy all your other equipment. You can take your trunk with you too…' Ilane said, scrutinizing her youngest daughter. 'Kel, don't beat yourself up over this. It wasn't your fault, life just goes this way sometimes.'

Kel nodded mutely.

At that moment Piers came hurrying in. 'Simonn says that there is an envoy of coaches leaving for the North in about an hour. Kel will be safe with those, but her belongings will have to be sent along tomorrow. If she wants to get a place on this coach she'll have to go now.'

'So soon?' asked Lady Ilane.

Piers shrugged, 'You'll be alright won't you Kel?'

Kel nodded and realised that she would have to be alright, for her family's sake if for nothing else. Both her parents hugged her tightly and without so much as a word of goodbye from her sister, she left the house, trailing after Simonn.

The envoy was comprised of sixteen or so shabby horse-drawn coaches. Some were coaches for people, but others contained livestock or trading goods. Simonn lead her to a particularly small, rickety coach near the back of the convoy. With a bow he left her completely alone. The driver indicated that she should climb inside, and so she did, seating herself on the hard, worn seat. She shivered, despite the fact that it was a warm night, and drew her legs onto the seat, hugging them tightly. It comforted her slightly as she fought to keep salty tears from sliding down her cheeks.

She had never felt more alone, travelling with people she didn't know, to a place she'd never been. It was hard to believe that twenty-four hours ago she was happily sleeping in the Page's wing without a care in the world, still a page, her friends all around.

_I won't give up, I'll never give up._ She chanted over and over again, as a mantra in her head. So when the carriage began to rattle and roll it's way out of Corus, she didn't cry, but kept her face smooth as a lake, her heart clenching painfully at leaving her parents and Neal behind.

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**(-a/n-** So what do you think? I promise you that this will NOT be like all of the other convent stories :D it will be way different, but I can't tell you any more. ) 

**Confusedknight xx**


	4. Journeying

**(-a/n-** Whoo! Lots and lots of wonderful encouraging reviews :D I'm so happy that you're all liking the plot so far. I'm really enjoying writing this especially as it's so different to almost everything else I've written…(and if it doesn't seem that different now you'll have to wait a few chapters where my plot will dive completely off all logical or previously-used plot lines :D ) …still please keep reviewing and I'll keep writing :D )

**nativewildmage**lol! Yes Kel's life is a bit of a mess at the moment but it's going to get worse before it gets better…

**hiccups, katiebug123, Me, ForeverinTwilight, Warrior by heart, Erytha, Pie of Doomeh, SarahE7191, Eclipsa, brezzybrez, kelroxmysox, Tortall gal, Misled Nymph, oirishgoddess, dancerboy8, On top of cloud 9, Do you know Emily Davison, ****Aly the Spy, TsknRaider & Rinnabeth Archer.**

**Crazy Lady Knight **Basically the first chapter was just an insight into the future. From now on the chapters will appear in chronological order right up until we reach the scene in the first chapter (if that makes sense?!?)

**shamrockgirl07**yeah I had to move it on quickly else I think that Kel would've decided against the convent if she'd had more time to think about it. But for my plot line to work she has to go to the convent…

**alynawatlovers**lol I shall apologize in advance for it will get worse. I'm so mean to poor Kel.

**queenoftheostlers**:( I'm glad it made you feel a bit better :D Keep smiling :D

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**thanks for your faith in me :D lol! I know exactly where this is all going and it will be very…unique! I just hope you all like it :D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**hehe…nope, Kel will actually reach the convent. Because my whole thing is that for a reason (as yet unknown to all of you) she will disappear…I don't think that she would just disappear before this thing… (arrgh it's so hard because I don't want to ruin the plot…) because she couldn't be a knight…she's too strong and determined…anyway… that's just for this fic. If you are going to write a fic go for it! I'll read!

**Confusedknight xx**

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This chapter was inspired by the song 'You can't take me,' by Bryan Adams, written for the film 'Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron.' If you want to listen to both songs (Fallen as well) look on youtube and search their names and artists. 

_You can't take me…_

_Got to fight another fight - I gotta run another night  
Get it out - check it out  
I'm on my way and I don't feel right  
I gotta get me back - I can't be beat and that's a fact  
It's OK - I'll find a way  
You ain't gonna take me down no way  
Don't judge a thing until you know what's inside it  
Don't push me - I'll fight it  
Never gonna give in - never gonna give it up no  
If you can't catch a wave then you're never gonna ride it  
You can't come uninvited  
Never gonna give in - never gonna give up no  
You can't take me I'm free_

_Why did it all go wrong? - I wanna know what's going on  
What's this holding me?  
I'm not where I supposed to be  
I gotta fight another fight  
I gotta fight with all my might  
I'm getting out, so check it out  
you're in my way  
yeah you better watch out_

_Don't judge a thing until you know what's inside it  
Don't push me - I'll fight it  
Never gonna give in - never gonna give it up no  
If you can't catch a wave then you're never gonna ride it  
You can't come uninvited  
Never gonna give in - never gonna give up no  
You can't take me I'm free_

_I'm free…_

The coach rattled onwards into the new day and after a particularly violent jerk, Kel woke up. She had found it impossible to sleep on the seat, and so had lain on the cold, wooden floor of the coach, before she finally fell into restless slumber.

Her body was stiff and aching from her uncomfortable position and Kel winced as she pushed herself upright. She looked around at her living quarters for the next week or so. It was a dingy carriage, the upholstery faded, and the curtains at the grimy windows were moth eaten.

_Hardly fit for a young lady, _thought Kel sardonically.

Outside the window, there were sunny fields, wet with the early morning dew. They had left the city far behind and now she was awake Kel didn't know how she slept, even for a few hours in the juddering wreck that was her transport. She knew that with presenting her two sisters at court, the family couldn't afford to send their own carriage up North. They would've had to pay for guards, a supply wagon and spare horses, not to mention fees for wayside Inns.

Kel sighed and her stomach grumbled hungrily. She hadn't eaten since her last meal in the Mess hall and that seemed like months ago. Kel knew that in a large train of coaches and wagons, there was likely to be food provided, and that the chances of stopping in a comfortable Inn were poor. Undoubtedly they would just stop when the mules and horses became weary and sleep in their own coaches, the drivers and merchants in their wagons.

She reached for her sword which she'd laid next to her, so that it didn't dig into her hip whilst she slept and belted it onto her slim waist. She tied back her shoulder length brown hair and opened the carriage door, hopping out into the fresh morning air.

The driver of her carriage was a wizened old man and he called out to her as she looked around. The carriage was going at a slow pace and Kel could easily walk alongside it.

'Oi, what're you doing?'

'Just stretching my legs,' said Kel.

'Get back in the carriage, I've been instructed to take you to the City of the Gods, but I can't take any responsibility for losing you along the way, so get back inside. There'll be a break in about an hour, you can stretch your legs then.'

Kel sighed and climbed back up into the carriage, opening up the dirty window, allowing the fresh air to fill the musty space. She stared out at the passing countryside, her face still hiding the emotions she felt within.

Anger; at the injustice shown towards her by not only Lord Wyldon, but also that of the King, who allowed her to be put on a probationary year in the first place. Fear; at her unknown future, the convent, then the Yamani isles. Desperation; how would she ever prove to them that they were wrong to get rid of her. Sorrow; at leaving behind her family and friends. Loneliness, hurt and shame, also weighed on her heart.

But through the midst of it all a blazing fire of determination shone through, and it wasn't a happy or joyful thought, but over the next few months it would become an obsession, leaving no space for regret or anger.

The countryside varied slightly with each passing day, and Kel felt like a caged animal. Shut away in the carriage for the majority of the day was driving her crazy. Her trunk had been sent on a fast carriage, and had been loaded into the coach, so at least she could change her clothes. It was accompanied by a letter from her parents to the Mother Superior at the Convent and a short note telling her to behave herself. Adie's note was short and vicious, forbidding Kel to shame the family name with talk of weapons or knighthood.

One night, everything simply became too much. She couldn't sleep, even though the carriage had stopped to allow the mules and horses to rest. Neal's face swam in her vision and her heart contracted painfully, missing her best friend and realising that it would be a very long time before they met again.

Stifled in the heat and musty smell, she curled up and shook with suppressed emotion. She opened the carriage door gently and climbed up onto the roof of the coach. Out here it was peaceful, no musty smells or walls pressing in on her. She lay and stared up at the stars, eternities away in the blackness, comforting herself in thinking that back at the Palace the same stars hung in the sky. And compared to the aeons of blackness that the light from the stars had crossed, the Palace and her home, were relatively close.

Kel fell asleep, peaceful for the first time since she'd left Corus, under the inky black sky. Free at last from the confines of the carriage, free from her own suffocating thoughts and the criticizing eyes that seemed to follow her every movement. _Free _she had thought, _I'll be free someday, free to do what I want, without people frowning upon me or pulling me down. _

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**(-a/n-** Sorry it's not very long, but in all probability I'll update tomorrow as I break up from school tomorrow :D Also I just wanted to give you all an insight to what I'd imagine Kel to be feeling. Please review :D ) 

**Confusedknight xxx**


	5. The City of the Gods

**(-a/n- **Hello again all my amazing reviewers :D Thanks yet again for your wonderful comments you all deserve lots of chocolate and cookies :D )

**SarahE7191, ****Luna Dust, ****Erytha, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, Misled Nymph, Aly the Spy, a random browser, oirishgoddess & ****jj.**

**Warrior by heart**yeah, basically I listen to them and stare into space (for hours) imagining everything in my head and how I'm going to portray everything, then when I write it down I know what I want to write and just fill in the details…but the music is the source of all my inspiration…that and lots of chocolate nibbly things!

**Pie of Doomeh**I love the song too :D Thanks for the complimentary review :D

**Jennyvre Moss**thanks, I'm glad you think it's different that's precisely what I was aiming for :D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**I'll try and make it longer, but the trouble is I always find that I need 'inbetweeney' chapters, but I don't want to make them to long as I would just waffle…still if I move the plot on a bit then the chapters will lengthen…hopefully…

**On top of cloud 9**hehe! I had never seen it until about six months ago, when my horsey-mad friend Jess showed it to me and I loved it :D I love loads of disney movies, especially the Lion King :D

**shamrockgirl07**I'm afraid that there won't be much Neal for quite a while, but you might have a few snippets of him here and there…

**Me **lol! But it would spoil **everything** hehehe anyway surprises are good for you, so you'll have to keep guessing a little longer…

**Confusedknight xx**

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Six days later the train of carriages arrived in the City of the Gods. It had been six lonely days and nights for Kel. Shut away in the carriage she was left to reflect on her life, staying for many hours on end in one position, too lost in her own thoughts to notice her aching, stiff body. She didn't even practise any pattern dances with her glaive as it served of a painful reminder of her dismissal from Page training. She couldn't concentrate on anything and her mind floated constantly, as active as her body wasn't. Kel had been a wreck of emotion this last week though she'd never once let it show on her face, nor let a single tear spill from her hazel eyes. She wouldn't give _them _the satisfaction. 

Whilst the rest of the coaches and wagons halted in the main street of the City of the Gods, the wizened man who had been driving her coach and bringing her meals, continued up a cobbled hill, to where a large grey building stood. Steel gates opened to allow the carriage to make its way up the hill.

_I am a lake, _thought Kel, _I am as smooth and as calm as the surface of a lake._

That morning Kel had tried to wash the journey's grime off of herself in a small stream near to where they had stopped for breakfast. It hadn't been very thorough, but at least she felt a little less sweaty and dirty. She had then dressed in a simple dress, folding away her shirt and breeches, a wave of sorrow flooding her, as she felt like she was giving in. But in her heart she knew that she wasn't. _I'll put on a brave face for everyone's sake. I'll try my hardest to be a lady, then at the end of the year at least I'll have learnt something, even if it's not what I wanted to be learning. Then I'll go to the Yamani Isles and become a warrior there. _

She had reached the conclusion that becoming a warrior in the Yamani Isles was her next choice of lifestyle. Over the past lonely days she had considered the Queen's riders, Shang and even disguising herself as a boy like Alanna had done to re-enter page training. After a few dreamy minutes in which she envisioned herself proving to Lord Wyldon that he was wrong, she promptly dismissed the idea as ludicrous. For one thing Alanna had been a twin and had someone to swap with. Kel couldn't just invent an identity and even if she did manage to then she would undoubtedly be recognised. The thought of becoming a Shang warrior also filled her mind with future scenes, but Kel knew that she was far too old to become Shang. The Queen's riders on the otherhand worked far too closely with knight's for Kel to become a rider. It would be incredibly awkward being under the command of a Knight, her knowing, and them knowing that she had once tried, and failed to become a knight.

So the best option it seemed was to become a warrior for the Islands, and then, maybe if by some miracle, Lord Wyldon retired then she could try again for her shield. It was this thought that would pull Kel through the next six months of her life.

She tied her hair up, so that people couldn't see the tangles or dirt that had accumulated there during the journey and placed a necklace around her neck. It was made of a silver chain and the charm that hung on the simple chain was a sapphire Yamani cat, not unlike her ornamental ones. It was to bring good luck and had been given to her by her mother before she'd entered Page training. Kel was not sure why she had worn it, maybe to make her remember that she hadn't given up and was merely biding her time until she could train once more.

The carriage shuddered to a halt and Kel peered out into the dreary courtyard. The sky was overcast, and as Kel stepped out of the carriage she could feel spots of rain on her cheek. A sister dressed all in black hurried over to her.

'You must be Lady Keladry of Mindelan,' she said in a stern voice. 'I'm to take you to the First daughter of the Convent.' To the carriage driver she said, 'If you would be so kind as to leave Lady Keladry's belongings in the entrance hall, we will have a maid take them to her room.'

The woman turned abruptly and strode away, Kel hurrying after her. It felt good to stretch her legs after the long journey, thought Kel as she made her way down corridors and up staircases. They came to a halt outside an oak door on which had a brass plaque that read 'First Daughter.'

'This is where I leave you Lady Keladry,' she said and strode away.

Kel, like thousands of Noble women before her, knocked nervously on the door of the office.

'Come in,' called a haughty voice.

Kel pulled open the door and entered the office. It was a plainly furnished room, to match the plain face of the First Daughter. Her skin was wrinkled and her eyes dull. Everything about her and her belongings was simple and rather boring. She wore the black habit of a Sister of the Convent and the only thing that showed her position was a white belt and shawl. She appeared to be waiting for Kel.

Kel was about to curtsy and realised that she wasn't sure how a noble woman should curtsy. So instead she compromised and bowed Yamani style, her palms flat on her thighs. There were three types of greeting in the Islands. The one which she had just demonstrated, was used when wishing to honour a person, thanking them for something, or just as a formal greeting, it was the most common greeting. The second greeting was when the person knelt on the ground and bowed, though the size of their bow reflected the importance of the person they were greeting. (If they were greeting the Emperor they bowed until their head touched the floor!) The third greeting was more informal, or was used for a person of higher status to greet or acknowledge a person of lower status. In the current circumstances Kel felt that her formal bow was polite enough for the First Daughter. Although as soon as she rose, she knew it had been a mistake.

The First Daughter's face registered disapproval.

'In future, Lady Keladry, you will great me with a curtsy, only men should bow.'

Kel gritted her teeth, 'Many apologies First Daughter, I was taught to greet people like this in the Yamani Isles, where it is acceptable for women to bow.'

The First Daughter's eyes narrowed and Kel knew that she had made herself unpopular already.

'Your apology is accepted Lady Keladry, let us hope that in future you will be more acquainted with Tortallan customs,' she replied, icily polite.

'I have called you here to not only welcome you to the Mother of the Mountains Convent, but to decide which year group to place you with. Can you play an instrument?' Inquired the older woman.

'No First Daughter.'

'Can you sing?'

'No First Daughter.'

'Can you embroider?'

'No First Daughter.'

'Can you dance, sew, draw, cook? Do you know the etiquettes required at court? Do you know how to accept tokens or compliments? Can you apply face paint to magnify your beauty?'

'No First Daughter,' replied Kel woodenly.

'I thought not,' said the First Daughter coldly, 'Your parents might have neglected your upbringing in favour of your childish fantasies of Knighthood, but we most certainly will not. You will not embarrass them or us any further, you will become a fine young lady, though Goddess help us it will take time.'

She looked at Kel through narrowed eyes as though expecting anger or tears. But Kel's face was smoother than silk, and she replied serenely.

'Yes First Daughter.'

'I will be placing you with our youngest group,' she said, again looking at Kel and waiting for an objection.

'Will that be all First Daughter?' she said smoothly although longing to punch the First daughter's ugly face.

'I shall call for a sister to show you to your room. Dinner will be in two hours and we will start your instructing immediately, as you are so far behind. Here is your timetable.'

Kel took the proffered piece of paper, said 'Good day First Daughter,' serenely and left the office with a grim sense of satisfaction. _It'll take a lot more than that to get emotion out of me, _thought Kel savagely.

A sister robed in black appeared and led Kel to her room. It was slightly large than the one she'd had as a page and the walls were a dull, pale pink in colour. The floor was wooden and had a large fleecy rug laid across it. There was a window from which she could the City of the Gods and below the windowsill was the sloped roof of a small extension to the building, on the other side of which lay the small stables.

Kel's trunk had already been brought up and laid by her bed. Looking around Kel also noticed that small door led off into a tiny privy where a bathtub lay. She heard the door to her room swing shut as the Sister left her. She stared around hopelessly, wondering how many other people would be prejudiced against her for her desire to become a Knight. She had hoped that she might find at least one friend.

_Well you'd better make a better first impression on them than you did on the First Daughter, _she told herself sternly.

And so she undressed and went into the bathroom. The bathtub was positioned beneath two large copper taps which she twisted. Out of the first gushed steaming water and out of the second, ice cold water. She wasn't quite sure how the water got there but she assumed that it must be controlled magically. When she had filled the bath tub to nearly the top she climbed in, some water slopping over the sides onto the tiled floor.

She tilted her head back and lay there, allowing the hot water to ease her muscles and completely remove all the grime that had accumulated over the last week of travelling. Then she washed all the knots and tangles out of her hair, which was now long enough to fall just past her shoulders. Feeling altogether a lot nicer and cleaner, she stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself in a soft cotton towel.

Kel then selected the least creased dress she owned, and got dressed, towelling her hair dry until it hung in damp curls on her shoulders. She put on some Yamani slippers and then began to unpack. When the dinner bell rang, she took a deep breath, willing herself to be calmer than calm. _Like a stone, _and took the first steps of the new life at the convent, out into the hallway, following the corridor until she came to a stair case. Once on the ground floor she followed Kel other girls, keeping her head down, making herself inconspicuous as possible.

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**(-a/n-** Sorry about the delay in updating. I've discovered that I can only write at night…I tried yesterday during the day and it just wouldn't flow, I kept getting distracted…-sighs- anway…at least the chapter was longer...Please review :D ) 

**Confusedknight xxx **


	6. The Convent

**(-a/n-** Why hello again! ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS FOR FIVE CHAPTERS!!!! I'm so unbelievably happy especially as it's Christmas in under ONE WEEK! And then after Christmas I'm going skiing over New Year in France!! I'm so excited :D So I'm going to try to update a couple more chapters this week, then I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while for me to come back from skiing and visiting relatives. Then I'll continue to update but I have mocks –groans- so I'll be pretty busy. But I'll try not to have too many delays…Anwyay…now I've waffled away… Peppermint creams and lots of yummy Christmas food to all of my wonderful reviewers :D Happy Advent!)

**Sarra's wildchild, dancerboy8, l8dyshadowknight, Erytha, Misled Nymph, manicpony24 & tdk99992000.**

**shamrockgirl07**lol mean lady! Only some chapters will have songs depending on whether the chapter is inspired by the song. But don't worry I have a long list of songs…It's just that I've a feeling this is going to be a very long fic and therefore most of them will come later on.

**Spy In Training**Very long (but hopefully it will stay interesting…) but as it does span a long time period, some chapters might move the time on very quickly because I don't see any point in babbling on for thousands of words so convey some completely irrelevant details…

**oirishgoddess**I had to have a little rebellious moment from Kel :D I love happy endings :D

**katiebug123**Sorry if some of the sentences were a bit muddled…I probably got distracted by something (seriously I am terrible at concentrating on a computer…there is always something to look at :D…) hehehe. Thanks for reviewing :D

**On top of cloud 9**lol! Disney is wicked :D I don't even own a dress…eugh…icky things hahha

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**you're so observant! No she won't use it for that reason…but it will come in handy in about eight chapters time or so…(I won't disclose the actual use of it…that would just be giving too much away…haha got you guessing?)

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**Happy Christmas to you too! Thanks as always for your reviews :D

**queenoftheostlers**Hi!!! Long time no see :( We need to meet up before Christmas…Anyway…I'm wearing my slippers too! Go fluffy slippers! There will be some more Spirit music sometime…anyway mon amigo…

**Confusedknight xxx **

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**

Kel kept her head cast down as she followed the mass of chattering girls down into the dining room. The room was much smaller than the Palace mess hall and contained a long buffet where they could help themselves to several varieties of meat, potatoes, vegetables and puddings.

Having collected her meal Kel was at a loss of what to do or where to go. The tables were all smaller than they had been at the Palace, so that the table's occupants could sit in smaller groups and interact with one another.

This unfortunately made it difficult for Kel to spot a place where she could sit without intruding into a group of friends and their high-pitched conversation. Kel spotted a half full table, and made her way over to it, telling herself inwardly to stop comparing everything to the Palace.

Kel sat and began to eat, feeling extremely uncomfortable, she would just have to eat quickly and return to her room. Having come to the conclusion that she'd never be able to introduce herself to anyone over the hubbub of talk, let alone finding someone who would be in her classes. She would just have to hope that she could make a friend, or an acquaintance at the very least the next day when classes started.

She had bought the timetable she'd been given, so that she could examine it while she was eating. Kel looked at her schedule, which seemed to be the same every day except Sunday, which it seemed was a free day.

_7.30 – Wake-up bell_

_8.00-8.30 – Breakfast_

_8.40 – Morning prayers in the Temple of the Great Mother Goddess _

_9.00–10.00 – Embroidery_

_10.00-11.00 – Etiquette class_

_11.00-12.00 – Literacy_

_12.00-1.00 – Lunch_

_1.00-2.00 – Music class_

_2.00-3.00 – Dancing lesson_

_3.00-4.00 – Self-Improvement_

_4.00-4.30 – Social Instruction_

_4.30-5.30 –Dinner_

_5.30-6.00- Free time in which the baths may be visited_

_6.00-7.00 – Interaction_

_7.30-8.00 – Assembly of First years _

_8.00-9.00- Free time_

_9.00 – Corridor curfew _

_9.30 – Lights out _

'Are you new then?' asked a voice behind Kel.

Kel looked up to see a girl with black hair and beetle-black eyes addressing her.

'Yes,' she mumbled.

The girl smiled and sat down next to Kel, beckoning that her friend did the same.

'It must all be a bit daunting for you, that's the way it is for everyone when they first arrive, but you'll soon settle in,' she said amiably.

The girl's sympathy annoyed Kel slightly, but she didn't say anything as the girl chatted blithely on.

'Every girl has a different timetable depending on what they need to learn. When they have mastered a subject then it is dropped from their timetable. When they have no more subjects left, that's when they leave and go to the Palace. Meals are at different times for each year, so that the Dining room doesn't get too crowded. First thing in the morning you'll get up, get yourself dressed and made up for the day, then you'll have breakfast at about eight,' she said indicating Kel's timetable.

'Then you'll need to walk up to the temple, it only takes about ten minutes, but apparently the fresh air is good for us, and then pray for around five minutes or so. It's a silly custom I know, but the Sister's insist upon it and if you don't go they'll know as they take a register see…Oh, and you also have to pray at some time on a Sunday, though that's alright, because we get the whole of Sunday off.'

'So what do you have first thing, ah embroidery, well that's pretty straightforward. Then etiquette class, that's learning the proper way to behave at court and other social functions, the way to address people and such like. Literacy is basically checking that you can read and write in a ladies script. We also have to read poems and other literary works to 'educate' us.' She paused for breath.

'Music class will be in a smaller group, you'll either have to learn and instrument or sing. Dance, again straightforward, you'll learn Waltz's and many other dances too. Self-improvement is where you have a bit of freedom, some people draw, others prefer to sew or learn another instrument. Really it's just trying to expand our horizons and make us more eligible candidates for future husbands.'

'Social instruction, is similar to etiquette, although it involves learning about certain fiefs, how old they are and suchlike, just making sure that when we go to court we are a bit wiser as to the positions of the people around us. Then Interaction is when we are paired with a different partner each night, and we just have to talk to them for an hour, find out about them. It means that we all get to know each other a little better and improves are ability to talk to people who we're not familiar with.'

Judging by the way that this girl had nattered on, Kel thought that this black-haired girl did not need to improve her ability to talk to unfamiliar people.

'Finally your assembly will be more prayers, but led by a Sister and a talk from one of the Sister's or an older student. In your free time you will carry out any homework you are set…'

At last the girl seemed to have run out of things to say.

'Thanks,' muttered Kel awkwardly.

'Oh it was no trouble at all,' gushed the girl. 'My name is Leanna of High cove.'

'Keladry of Mindelan,' said Kel.

'I'm Kaylie of Golden-cross,' said Leanna's quieter companion.

It looked like Leanna was about to start another speech so Kel hurriedly stood up.

'I really must be going, I need to unpack,' she lied, 'And I've had such a long journey I really must get some sleep before tomorrow.'

'Where have you travelled from?' Leanna asked interestedly.

'Corus,' said Kel gathering up her plate and cutlery.

'Really, I've never been to Corus, but in a year or so…'

Kel would've rolled her eyes, _could this girl talk about anything? She just can't stop herself, _Kel thought irritably.

'I really must go, goodbye,' said Kel and left hurriedly.

'Strange little thing isn't she,' said Leanna, staring confusedly at Kel's retreating back, wondering where she had heard the name 'Keladry of Mindelan' before...

Kel meanwhile hurried down corridor after corridor until she found her room. With a sigh of relief she let herself into her room and feeling particularly miserable she changed into her nightclothes and climbed into bed. She lay there staring at the ceiling, gripping the duvet tight between her fingers, as though if she let go it would be torn away from her just like everything else in her life had been.

She heard sounds of girls clattering up the corridor and calling out to each other as they entered their rooms. It was all so feminine. Kel had gone from being surrounded by boys, sensible but fun-loving boys. Neal, Merric, Seaver, Cleon, Roald…To girls, voices high-pitched, full of false conversation and silliness. A lump appeared in her throat as she thought of what her Page friends might be doing at that very moment.

Never had Kel disliked her own sex as much as she did right now. Leanna had been just the start, a typical convent girl and Kel wondered, would a noble man, say Merric or Esmond or any one of her friends care if their prospective wife could sing or embroider? The answer would be most certainly no, and Kel now realised that this year would be wasted. OK, so Kel had expected to be taught how to dance and etiquette, but 'Social interaction', singing and praying had not been on her her list of things to do this year, and she began to regret her hasty decision.

_Still, _she thought, _not that much can be done about it now. I will face the oncoming with the steely calm and reserve of a true Yamani Warrior. I will not let them have the satisfaction of seeing my true feelings. I will rise above my troubles and face life, however hard it may be, with the dignity of a Warrior. _She ended her half-prayer with the Yamani phrase; _May the God's make it so. _

And curling up into a tight ball, she fell gently into the peaceful bliss of ignorance that was sleep.

* * *

**(-a/n-** Again, many apologies for the shortness, I just wanted to introduce Kel's timetable as that will make it easier for me to proceed with the next few chapters. Please review and you might get a few more updates before Christmas.) 

**Confusedknight xxx **


	7. The First Day

**(-a/n- **So many reviews! Oh how happy I am :D la la la ! I'm feeling rather Christmassy at the moment ;D …Just to let you know that there won't be any updates for a while…But this chapter is extra long, (consider it a Christmas present!) I hope you all have a very, very Happy Christmas!

**I have tin foil, Sarra's wildchild, Mysterylegend, Me, Luna Dust, Erytha, theknightofkonaha, girl-imposter, after.a.hard.day,** **alynawatlovers, shamrockgirl07, Xxlalla-azizaxX & brezzybrez.**

**Pie of Doomeh**lol…Do you sing? I don't but I play the flute which I love.

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**I wanted Leanna to be a stereotypical 'convent girl' just to introduce things, but Kel will find some more 'normal' girls too :D (I just couldn't resist having a complete bimbo, it will make for interesting writing/reading later :D )

**katiebug123**Don't worry you're probably right; it was rushed, but I do find that I need 'in-betweeney' chapters that will set up for a better/longer/more interesting chapter (which hopefully this one will be.) Thanks for all your constructive comments, it helps for me to improve and that is one of the reasons that writing fanfic is good :D

**Aly the Spy**lol! More updates would be nice…if only my computer could write chapters for me…sigh… anyway…thanks for reviewing ;D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**yaga, Leanna was meant to be a character that Kel would expect at the convent, someone completely opposite to herself, bimbo, talkative, shallow etc. Wait and see…thanks once again for your reviews :D

**On top of cloud 9**SAME my Mum is obsessed with trying to get me to be more 'girly'. –sulks- dresses are icky :D lol!

**queenoftheostlers**lol, why are your reviews always the most random?!? Lol! Yup I want a baby dragon, you can get me one for my birthday :p tee hee hee

**oirishgoddess**Peppermint creams! Yummy! Oh I so need to make peppermint creams…if I don't update tonight it'll be cos I've got distracted and gone to make peppermint creams! Lol!

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

When Kel awoke the next morning it was to the harsh tolling of a bell. She half considered making herself get up and run through her usual morning exercises, but her room was so warm and her bed so comfy that she decided that just this once she would lie in. After all she had a whole half hour to get ready and go down to breakfast. 

After a quarter of an hour she heaved herself out of bed and went to the basin. Splashing cold water over her face she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and returned to the room. Rummaging in the wardrobe Kel pulled out a white shift and a blue overdress. Yawning she dressed, placed some Yamani-style satin slippers over her feet and ran a brush through her tousled hair.

She was about to leave her room for breakfast, when she remembered that they were required to go to the Temple to pray after breakfast. Cursing in Yamani she searched frantically for suitable footwear. In the end the best she could find were a well-worn pair of leather shoes. With a sigh she exchanged the satin slippers for the old shoes and cast around for anything that she'd forgotten.

Kel caught sight of her timetable lying on her beside cabinet and picked it. With a final adjustment of her light summer dress, she left the room. It took her less time to find the dining room that day, and when she had collected her food, Kel noticed that there were far less people in it that at supper the previous evening. She supposed that there was probably more than one breakfast sitting and made her way to a free table.

Kel ate her porridge, bread and fruit juice in silence, perhaps trying not to think to hard about the coming day. For a person who didn't really care about learning embroidery or other 'womanly attributes', she was remarkably nervous.

Her first concern was that the news would leak out about how she had tried for page training. Somehow Kel didn't think that it would go down well; it would be an instant way for her to find the whole convent population prejudiced against her. All Kel wished was that she could keep her head down, avoid trouble, maybe even make a friend or two.

_It sounds so easy when put like that,_ she thought. But in a hostile, unfamiliar environment, it was taking all of Kel's confidence to hold her head high and follow the dribble of girls that was slowly exiting the dining room.

The walk to the Temple took ten minutes although the group of chattering girls that Kel was following, was walking at an infuriatingly slow pace. The route to the Temple followed a well-trodden paved path that gradually climbed upwards to where the ornately carved Temple stood on the top of a hill.

The hill itself was devoid of trees and was simply a grassy mound, but at the base of the hill grew trees. On the convent side, the trees just grew here and there, but on the far side of the Temple was thick forest, leading into the uninhabited land that lay for miles around the Scanran border.

The Temple was carved from large stone pillars and inside the cavernous roof stretched high above the wooden pews. At the front was a simple altar, laid with a purple cloth and behind the altar was a huge life size statue of a woman so incredibly beautiful that it had to be a representation of the Great Mother Goddess. Light poured in through slanted windows set high in the walls, illuminating the still Temple.

A Sister, dressed in her black habit, stood lurking in the shadows, and the chattering group of girls had fallen dutifully silent. Following their lead, Kel shuffled onto a pew and leant forward, her hair falling over her face, her hands clasped in her lap.

Instead of praying as she was supposed to do, Kel sat contemplating religion. People prayed to the Gods and Goddesses, but to what end? The God's rarely interfered in mortal life unless the mortal in question was their 'chosen' whom they had planned to use as a tool to change something. In the Yamani Isles during an epidemic, Kel had seen people who had prayed to the Gods everyday of their life, die slowly, in agony, _where were their precious Gods then? _thought Kel bitterly.

In truth Kel still prayed to the Gods when seeking guidance, but out of habit more than anything else. _Perhaps we pray to reassure ourselves about something that we are afraid or worried about…_she mused.

Thinking that she had sat their long enough for the Sister to be convinced that she had prayed, she got up and left. As she walked back to the Convent she passed groups of girls, some giggling, some still bleary-eyed from sleep. Some smiled as they walked past and Kel returned the smile, feeling a little bolstered by the fact that just from sight she could pass as a convent girl.

Once back in her room she changed into her satin slippers, brushed her hair once more and left, wondering where on earth she could find the Embroidery class. She decided her best bet would be to go down to the dining room and ask someone there.

Just as Kel reached the corridor which led to the dining hall she passed two girls who were didn't appear too imposing.

'Um…Excuse me, but I'm new and was wondering where I might find my Embroidery class,' Kel said politely.

'It'll be on the first floor, you follow that corridor…Oh, It'll be quicker to take you their, we aren't due in lessons for another hour,' said the brown-haired girl.

Kel followed them gratefully, carefully noting the way they had come so she would be able to find the classroom again without assistance.

'So how long have you been at the Convent?' Kel asked.

'A year,' piped up the second girl.

Kel looked up; they would be the same age as her then. As they walked she examined their appearance. They were both slightly shorter than Kel, with long brown hair, expensive dresses and delicate features. They looked remarkably similar except for their eyes, the second girl had bright green eyes that looked oddly familiar, whereas the first girl had brown eyes, with long dark lashes.

'Here we go,' said the brown-eyed girl, knocking on a door set into the plain wall of the corridor.

'Who is it?' called a shrill voice from within.

'It's Carmelia of Darkcliff and Emmeline of Queenscove, we have a new girl for your class,' replied the brown-eyed girl.

_Queenscove,_ thought Kel in alarm. _Great Gods above, this must be Neal's sister, he said he had one my age! What if he's ever written to her and talked about me? If word gets out that I tried for Knighthood. What if she writes and tells Neal I'm here?_ Kel thought horrified, all her friends back at the Palace would think she'd given up. Neal would think she'd given up. Neal would think that she'd betrayed him and broke her promise.

'Send her in,' called out the reedy, shrill voice.

'Thanks,' Kel said, trying not to look Emmeline in the face.

Kel entered the room and looked at the small, wrinkly Sister who sat in a reclining chair, her small prune-like fingers working deftly with a needle and thread.

'Name?' she barked.

'Keladry of Mindelan.'

'Have you every embroidered before?'

'No Sister…'

'Sister Reed.'

'No Sister Reed,' she replied politely.

'Well it's not very difficult when you get the hang of it. Come and select a thread…'

And so the wizened Sister proceeded to show Kel three different types of basic stitches. Then, handing Kel a blue thread, needle and material stretched across a circular wooden disk, she told Kel to embroider three lines, one in each type of stitching.

Kel took the things and sat herself in one of the chairs, next to four other girls. Looking down at the material, needle and thread, she couldn't see the point in her learning this skill, but with an inward sigh, (something which she seemed to be doing rather a lot of nowadays) she set about the tedious task.

By the end of the lesson Kel has pricked her finger many times and had to refrain from cursing out loud. Embroidery was much harder than it looked, no matter how hard she tried her line of stitches ended up rather wonky and her stitches were nothing like the small even ones of Sister Reed.

As she filed out the class, a girl with blonde hair and shining blue eyes came up to her.

'I'm new as well, I only arrived two weeks ago, I'm Lucie.'

'Kel,' replied Kel.

'Are you any good at embroidery?' asked Kel, showing Lucie her pitiful attempt, which she had to continue with for homework.

'No,' giggled Lucie, 'I have an older sister who's very good though, but then she's good at _everything._'

'Tell me about it,' said Kel smiling, 'I have three older sisters who can't do a thing wrong!'

Their conversation continued all the way to the next class; Etiquette.

As they entered Kel smiled to herself, perhaps things wouldn't be so bad after all.

The etiquette lesson flew by in a whirlwind of curtsies. The Sister made her practise again and again, until her legs ached. The curtsy was simple but the Sister insisted that Kel needed to practise until it would come naturally. Kel rolled her eyes, and Lucie disguised a snigger behind a cough that caused the Sister chastised as 'un-ladylike'.

As they made their way to Literacy class, Lucie and Kel chatted amiably and when they arrived Lucie introduced Kel to the relatively young Sister who would be taking their class. Kel thought that she was well versed in both Tortallan and Yamani literacy skills, and this would be one class that she found easy. Kel was asked to copy a poem from a book and show it to the Sister. Kel copied the poem quickly yet neatly in her small, tidy handwriting. When she showed the Sister her work the Sister let out a small screech.

'This handwriting is of a man! Look at it! No gentle lady writes like this!'

Kel looked forlornly down at her work; she couldn't see anything wrong with her handwriting, it was small, neat and legible.

The Sister set Kel to copying the alphabet. Kel was embarrassed, yet she didn't let it show on her face, and the other girls hid smirks as they buried their face in their own work. Only Lucie smiled encouragingly and pulled a face at the Sister when her back was turned.

The lettering which the Sister was trying to teach Kel was flowery, with many loops and whirls, especially on capital letters. Writing in this new script was time-consuming and tedious for Kel, but she gritted her teeth. _This is just the same as learning to joust, _she thought, _It will get easier with practice. _But the rebellious side of her mind said, y_es but you wanted to learn to joust, not write prissy lettering. _

After being given homework that consisted of copying another two poems and reading three more, Kel left the classroom and made her way down to lunch, Lucie at her side. Over lunch their conversation switched to the topic of families.

'So Kel, you're from Mindelan, is that in the North or South.'

'North,' said Kel once she'd finished her mouthful of bread. 'Almost on the coast, but I've never really lived there for that long. When I was four, my family left to live in the Yamani Islands,' she explained.

'Why?' asked Lucie interestedly, helping herself to some juice.

'My parents are diplomats, they organised the peace treaty between Tortall and the Islands. I lived in the Yamani Islands for six years, then last year I returned to Tortall and lived in Corus for a year. I had to come to the convent because my parents are presenting my sisters at court and I didn't want to live with my brother's at Mindelan.'

'What was it like in the Yamani Islands?' asked Lucie interestedly. 'Is it true that Yamanis never smile?'

Kel nodded, 'It's considered the height of bad manners if you show any sort of emotion, they see it as a weakness of character.'

'You don't let much emotion show,' observed Lucie, draining the last of her fruit juice. 'I mean you smile and frown, but back there in the lesson your face suddenly cleared, it was quite scary actually…'

Kel looked at Lucie, deciding that she liked Lucie's blunt, straightforward attitude. 'Yes I was taught to never show my emotion, but over the last year I've become a bit lax about what I let show. A true Yamani would be horrified if they even smiled in the presence of another.'

'I think that's silly,' declared Lucie, 'Smiling shows that you're happy and often if you see someone else smiling it makes you feel better too.'

'Maybe…' said Kel, 'But sometimes it's useful not to show what you truly feel.'

Lucie nodded in agreement.

'So what about you?' asked Kel, 'Where do you live?'

'Cavall,' said Lucie conversationally. 'I've lived there all my life. I've never been anywhere else except Cavall; Father doesn't like us to travel about, not after what happened to Hayley.'

Kel had frozen at the name 'Cavall'.

'You're from Cavall?' she asked, hoping to keep the horror out of her voice.

'That's right,' smiled Lucie. 'My father's the Training Master at the palace, maybe you heard of him in Corus?'

Kel nodded, her thought's whirring furiously. Lord Wyldon had mentioned that he had daughters, but Kel had no idea that they were almost her age. She struggled to grasp the concept that this smiling, cheerful girl in front of her was actually the youngest daughter of the strict, unsmiling training master who had destroyed her dreams.

Kel cast around for a topic of conversation as she didn't like the way that this conversation was going; eventually it would lead to Lucie asking her what she did in Corus. Kel wasn't sure if she trusted Lucie enough yet to tell her about her attempt at Knighthood.

'So what happened to Hayley? Have you honestly never been anywhere other than Cavall or here?'

'Well Hayley was my older sister, my parents first born child and they loved her very much. She could get away with anything…Anyway one day she was travelling to a friend's fief, when her carriage was attacked by bandits. They were just looking for money and such like, but the guardsmen who were looking after Hayley, tried to protect the carriage with only six men. They killed several of the bandits, which only enraged them further and eventually they were overpowered. The bandits murdered all of the guards, my sister and her maid. My parents were devastated,' said Lucie sadly. 'After that, my father has always made me and my three sisters stay at home where we're safe; he always said he couldn't bear to loose another daughter.'

In spite of herself Kel felt a stab of pity for Lord Wyldon; perhaps Hayley's death was the reason why he thought women shouldn't belong in combat? But then the old feeling of betrayal and injustice resurfaced. He had no right to deny Kel her shield just because his daughter had been killed in a fight.

After lunch Lucie and Kel walked to their music class together. The music class passed quickly for Kel in a haze of inadequacy. Kel felt completely useless. Her singing was mediocre, and she had no desire to learn the lap harp or flute, so she sang all lesson, the Sister nodding her head disapprovingly whenever Kel missed a note, or forgot the tune.

Dancing was a different kettle of fish altogether. Kel had learned a few dances as a page, which brought back painful memories…

* * *

'_Neal it's not fair that you get to partner Kel,' complained Merric. 'You get to be a man the whole time.'_

_As the pages, with the exception of Kel, were all male, one person in each partnership had to pretend to be a woman as the pages awkwardly waltzed their way across the classroom. _

_Neal looked particularly smug as he danced, very thankful that he wasn't dancing with another boy._

_Kel had thought at the time what an odd sight it would look if anyone were to walk in; boys twirling and spinning each other across a large room, in some cases having to get rather closer than was comfortable when it came to the part of the dance when they had to grip each others waists and dance pressed up against each other._

_Of course that part of the dance hadn't been particularly enjoyable for Kel either. Neal, being five years older than her, was considerably taller, and Kel's head only came up to Neal's chest, which posed a problem when she was meant to dance with her head on his shoulder._

_By the end of the dancing class all the pages were fed-up and grumpy, Seaver muttering mutinously under his breath at being forced to curtsy to Merric. Cleon annoyed because he had been dancing with Roald, earning him the name of 'Princess', when Neal had pointed out that Princesses would be the ones who danced with the Prince. Merric was nursing a bruised foot from where Seaver had trampled it in the quickstep. _

_Altogether the lesson had been a complete disaster and the dance master left, looking haggard and ten years older than he had at the start of the lesson. _

* * *

Kel hoped that the dance classes here would be more successful. She was paired with Lucie, and watching the other girls in the room, she noted that they seemed more comfortable with dancing with another girl, than the pages had been at dancing with another male. 

Kel was pleased to find that Lucie was hopeless at dancing too, and by the end of the class Lucie was giggling hysterically, earning her a disapproving glance from the Sister. Lucie's laugh and happy disposition was infectious and Kel found herself laughing as they reminisced about the lesson.

'What do you do for your 'self-improvement'?' asked Kel when they had calmed down.

'I draw,' said Lucie simply.

'Are you any good?' asked Kel. 'I'm absolutely terrible at drawing.'

'I'm good at drawing, but not so good at painting. I'll show you some of my pictures later,' Lucie replied. 'So what are you going to do?'

'I'm not sure; I don't really have any talents.' _Except for horse-riding and fighting, _thought Kel.

'You'll need to go and discuss it with the Sister Maera, who's in charge of the first years.'

'Where can I find her?' Kel asked.

Lucie gave directions, before leaving Kel to her own devices. Kel had no desire to go and see Sister Maera so instead she headed to her room with every intention of pursuing her own 'self-improvement'. She had thought it over carefully, if she was to return to the Yamani Isles then she would need to practise her glaive skills. She reasoned that if the Yamani noble women could use the _naginata _then she should be justified in being able to use her glaive in her 'self-improvement' time.

She stripped off her dress and pulled on a thin skirt, so that once combined with her shift, her outfit resembled the shape of a kimono. Stretching briefly she begin to swing her glaive for the first time since she'd left the Palace.

Sorrow welled up inside her, but she pushed in back, concentrating only on the heavy weapon in her arms. She felt stiff and aching after over a week of no exercise and soon her arms began to protest. Resting briefly she pulled her hair back off of her face with a scarf and began another pattern dance.

She kept at the exercise, her determination forcing her on, in a savage triumph that the physical exertion wasn't beating her. For the first time since she'd left the Palace she finally felt as though she had fully accepted her predicament. She had reached the point where she had felt her life couldn't get any worse, and now things must surely only get better.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

'Lady Keladry, are you in there?'

Kel went to the door and opened it. The sister shrieked and Kel looked about puzzled. Why was the Sister staring at her in alarm? She followed the Sister's terrified gaze.

'Don't worry, it's just a _naginata,_ the Yamani noble women use them. Look…' Kel swung the weapon easily in a wide arc and brought the blade to rest at her bare feet. The Sister had taken a step backwards in alarm.

'Lady Keladry, I've come looking for you to inquire what you will be doing for you 'self-improvement'. We encourage some form of choice improvement…'

Kel cut her off, 'I know, I've decided to improve my glaive work, for when I return to the Yamani Islands. All of the noblewomen of the court use them and when I return I do not wish to humiliate myself because I'm out of practice.' Kel had used her best, polite noblewoman's voice, with the aim of sweet-talking the Sister into allowing her to continue to practise.

'Be that as it may, we are a Tortallan convent and would desire for you to improve something other than the barbaric habits of foreigners.'

Kel gulped, there was obviously no talking this Sister around.

'But surely if it's my choice…'

'You are not to practise this barbaric behaviour any more. If I find you swinging a weapon within fifty miles of this convent there will be trouble. Goddess strike me down if I lie. This is a haven for young girls, with the aim of tutoring them into fine young ladies as it has done for countless years. I will not have you running around like a common street girl, swinging weapons around whenever you feel like it.' The sister had become incensed. 'Do you think any man will want to marry a girl who's more muscly than him? Well do you?'

Kel wanted to reply that she didn't care about whether or not she got married, but instead stared sullenly at the floor.

'I'm going to put an end to this nonsense right now,' and with a surprising amount of strength, she wrenched the weapon out of Kel's grasp, shuddering as she looked at the blades set at either end. 'Now I want you to clean yourself up and continue to your next class, tomorrow you will use your 'self-improvement' time to work on your other skills as I have had reports that you are behind all your classmates in all areas of our curriculum.'

Kel remained mute, anger boiling in her chest, who was this woman to dictate what she should do?

The Sister drew herself up to her full height. 'I know what you've spent the last year doing and I'm not having any of that here. You are a lady and will act like one. Your silly fantasies of knighthood and glory end here. The next time you return to Corus you will act like a lady, you will find a husband and be a dutiful wife. You are a lady not a barbarian riding on a horse, brandishing metal!'

Kel couldn't help herself. 'So you're calling Sir Alanna the Lioness a barbarian?'

'Lady Alanna was a whore who ended up marrying a thief-'

Kel cut across the Sister. 'She was also favoured by your precious Goddess,' she almost shouted.

'Be that as it may-'

Kel slammed the door shut in the Sister's face and bolted it shut. Her breath came in gasps and she fought to keep hot tears from sliding down her cheeks. That glaive had been a present from her mother…

She went to the window, yanked it open and stuck her legs out, letting the cooling air wash over her and calm her temper. She breathed in and out deeply, slowly restoring her calm. She had lost control, the very thing which she had been fighting against since leaving the palace.

Kel had no intention of going to 'Social Instruction' or whatever other waste of time the sister's had cooked up. She felt so trapped, she had nowhere to go, she had to stay at the convent…

Time slid past, bells sounded and yet Kel still sat there, staring out across the dusky landscape. She rolled her skirt up slightly and let the last rays of sun warm her legs, trying not to think about lessons or the Sisters or anyone else…

Neal's face crept unbidden into her thoughts and she wished she could talk to him. He would understand, she thought, just like he had done that evening when she'd been told she had to leave. She felt so alone and isolated, even though she could hear the chatter of happy voices all along the corridor and beneath her room. She felt alienated, even worse than she had felt when she'd first arrived at the Palace. _It was okay at the Palace _she thought _because I had Neal. _And then Kel remembered Lucie. Lucie was the only positive thing that had come out of the whole mess that her life was in.

Just then she heard a knock on the door.

'Kel…Kel it's me Lucie.' A tentative silence hung in the air, 'I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me…but Kel I really want to be friends and I'm sorry for what my father did, you probably hate him right now…but he's a good man Kel, he really is…I just wanted to say…I think that you were really brave to try for Knighthood and…' she broke off as she heard Kel's footfalls.

The door opened and Kel's face peered out. If she noticed Kel's odd attire, Lucie said nothing and followed Kel into the room.

'Did the Sister Maera tell you?'

Lucie nodded unhappily. 'She came into the study room where the rest of us were working and told the Sister what had happened, of course we all heard...and well I think you should know that some of the other girls aren't as…um…accepting of the news…'

'Don't worry, I always knew that if it got out…' Kel trailed away. 'You don't mind?'

'Of course I don't. It takes someone incredibly brave to break the mould, and even if you didn't become a knight I still think that you were right to try…'

'Really?' Kel searched Lucie's face for a hint of deception and found none.

Lucie smiled. 'You missed dinner you know.'

Kel was startled at how much time had passed. Surely she couldn't have been sitting there for two hours?

'Here, I bought you something…' and from her bag Lucie passed Kel a bundle. It was two pasties, still warm and wrapped in a napkin. Kel smiled gratefully, 'Thanks.'

'It was no problem,' said Lucie. 'After all, that's what friends are for.'

* * *

**(-a/n-** Yay! Have you any idea how long that took me to write?!? It's the longest chapter I've ever uploaded! Still I hope you enjoy it. Have a wonderful Christmas and please review :D ) 

**Confusedknight xxx**


	8. Behind the Mask

**(-a/n- **Hello, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas ;D I'm going skiing tomorrow so this will be the last update for a while…As always thanks for the fantastic reviews :D )

**queenoftheostlers, ****Erytha, ****rvwr, ****brezzybrez, ****theknightofkonaha, ****On top of cloud 9, ****Mrs. Dom Masbolle, ****after.a.hard.day, ****Serilia, ****Misled Nymph, ****Me, ****Lady Venya of the isle, ****Yabberli, ****oirishgoddess, ****SavingSaturn, ****BlindLove, ****alynawatlovers, ****Ti-Ti, & ****I have tin foil.**

**Justanotheraddiction **Nope I wasn't, I was just wondering what Kel's religious view would be…because in Tortall people such as Alanna, Daine, Aly, Numair etc… have actually seen the Gods and Goddesses so people know that they definitely exist yet for all they pray to their Deities unless they were 'chosen' the Gods did nothing…and when they die they all go to the Realm of the Black God…so yeah it was just an idea that I wanted to include…

**katiebug123**Yay! I long review in return for a long chapter!! Yup it was a filler chapter but it set up quite a few things for the plot in later chapters…Thanks for pointing out the 'going down' mistake, yes it was a colloquialism. But on the Kimono comment, Tamora Pierce refers to the Yamani's wearing Kimonos and as Kel was practising the glaive I styled her clothing similar to a Kimono as that's what she would've worn in the Islands.

**Pie of Doomeh**um yes I've played the flute for about seven years now. Yeah I had to give Kel a friend and I thought that there must be some nice girls at the Convent.

**Confusedknight xx**

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Kel had now been living at the Convent for two months. Two long, torturous months filled with the boredom and monotony that Kel had expected from life among Sisters of the Goddess and other noble born women.

Through the hottest months of July and August she was cooped up, unable to ride, enjoy the sunshine or have any iota of freedom. She had never considered running away as seriously as she did then. The two things that kept her sane was the thought of fulfilling her promise to Neal and herself; that she would stay at the convent until she could travel to the Islands and do so.

Her other saving grace was Lucie. Lucie put up with her long periods of withdrawn silence, helped Kel with class work and encouraged her to stay positive despite the hurtful remarks and comments that were made about Kel on a regular basis. After the Sister had revealed Kel's past, the news had travelled all over the Convent, and within two days everyone could point out 'the girl who tried for knighthood.'

Of course Kel had dealt with much worse before, yet at the Palace whenever someone had snubbed her or insulted her, it had only added fuel to her fire of determination to prove them wrong. But when her other classmates insulted or teased her, she had no burning desire to prove them wrong, no endless fountain of determination.

At first she had ignored their comments, but after several weeks of endless streams of unkindness, it began to affect her. The effect was not noticeable, Kel was too accomplished at hiding her feelings, but every time a girl or Sister made a hurtful comment, the barbs drove a little deeper into Kel's protective shield.

Remarks about how Kel would never find a husband -a regular Convent insult- didn't bother Kel; she had no wish to marry anytime soon and even if she did she would have hoped that the man would be marrying her for reasons other than her talent for embroidery, which was in fact, almost non-existant.

The remarks that hurt Kel the most were normally centred on her failure to become a fully-fledged page. Remarks such as "She's so ugly it's no wonder that they threw her out the Palace," which was a favourite of a particularly vindictive pale-skinned girl in Kel's dancing class. Or "She probably only tried for Knighthood because she was useless at everything else," was a comment Kel had heard whispered behind her back. And as Kel came to reflect upon it, the comment had an element of truth in it; she was hopeless at everything that the Convent considered 'ladylike.'

Kel had always been better at activities such as riding or glaive work, but she had never considered herself to be ignorant of womanly arts. In the Islands her etiquette had been spotless and she regularly joined her mother and the other Ladies of the Court in games of Fan toss or _naginata _practise. Unfortunately the sister's of the Convent had very different ideas about what women should and shouldn't do.

Reflecting on their attitude Kel surmised that it didn't bode well for the future. A few years of being brain-washed here and the girls were introduced at Court, conservative ideas stuffed into their pretty heads, all ready for marriage where they would raise their own daughters and teach them that it was indecent for women to fight, they would send their daughters to the Convent and the cycle would begin again.

Kel had been trying to compose a letter to her Mother for the last ten minutes, but words wouldn't come. So far she had written; _My Dearest Mother, _in her new 'lady-like' handwriting.

Although it had only been two months ago that Kel had settled here in this very room, it had been long enough for her to become accustomed to her dreary daily routine. She would eat all of the 'low fat' meals with Lucie and attend lessons putting in just enough effort to keep out of trouble. In her spare time she would either be found with Lucie, or sitting in her room lost in thought.

Lucie was the only girl with whom she socialised on a regular basis. After learning who Kel was, Neal's sister had come to find her and they had an awkward conversation, mainly Emmeline asking whether her brother was well. Apparently Neal had told Emmeline all about Kel and her exploits in his letters. Emmeline had been likeable enough, but Kel thought they had little chance at friendship since Emmeline seemed to care greatly about what her friends thought of her, and as Kel was probably the least popular person in the Convent they hadn't spoken since their initial chat.

Lucie on the other hand stood stoically by Kel and defended her ardently, earning herself a share of the unpleasantness that came Kel's way. But Cavall was a well known fief and it was widely known that Lucie's father was an important person. This gave Lucie a certain amount of redemption, as the girls didn't wish to make enemies with a person who would have a higher status than themselves at the palace.

Regardless of whether she really tried in lessons Kel had changed. It was just small things, whenever she wrote now she automatically did so with the flowery script that she was forced to write with during her lessons. If she was required to greet someone, she could now curtsy effortlessly after hours of practice under the Sister's watchful eye. Although Kel might not have noticed it unless Lucie had pointed it out, the girls were kept on a strict diet of set foods. Lucie had explained that it was so that they all achieved petite figures.

Kel had almost snorted at this; she was already taller than all the girls her age and her arms well-muscled for an eleven-year old. But the strict diet had already taken effect after only two months, Kel was sure that her clothes felt a little looser, and she always felt tired even though she was doing no physical exercise. Her glaive gone, Kel had still tried to perform her arm strengthening exercises, but it was so much harder when she was constantly hungry and miserable.

At that moment Lucie marched in, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders.

'Come on Kel, you've spent enough time in here moping around,' she said. 'Let's go for a walk.'

With an inaudible sigh Kel stood up and stretched, straightening her spine. She followed Lucie out of her room, down the stairs and out into a fresh summer's evening. Kel was wearing a plain brown dress with a forest green shift and a matching headscarf that kept her brown hair from falling across her face, which it had a tendency to do now that it was longer.

For all that Kel was shy and seemingly emotionless, Lucie like Kel's quiet humour and sensibility. When they were alone, Kel opened up more and they enjoyed many a conversation on long walks around the Convent grounds. With older sisters, Lucie had had plenty of chance to talk about clothes, husbands and all sorts of idle chatter that seemed to entertain at least half the Convent population, but she had discovered that she took after her father and her level-headed mother, who both found such conversation dull and pointless. With Kel she could hold a conversation about Yamani politics, religion or such like.

Lucie was not in anyway eager to pick up a sword and live the kind of life that Kel wished to live; she was quite content as a noble born woman to wear dresses and curtsy, but she was intelligent and shared Kel's logical way of thinking. Lucie however, within reason, said what she felt and often Kel's hidden emotions worried her. Kel said little about her days as a page; it seemed to still be a tender subject, but Lucie gleaned little scraps of information gradually.

The one topic that they had never discussed was why Kel had been kicked out. This was simply too awkward and whenever she thought about it Lucie felt torn between her best friend and her father. She received occasional letters from her father and had once considered writing to him to ask about Kel but she never knew what to write and instead told him that she'd found a very good friend.

That evening as they walked along, Kel was telling Lucie about how the Yamani's held parties where they recited poetry by the light of the moon. The gardens around them were in full bloom and the setting sun cast a warm glow over the surroundings. Kel and Lucie had just completed their walk and were making their way slowly back to the Convent, when they saw in the Courtyard a large carriage. The Sister appeared to be trying to prise a tearful girl away from her father and brother.

Kel and Lucie continued on the path, politely ignoring the dramatics of the red-headed girl who was clinging to her similarly red-headed brother and father, when suddenly a familiar voice called out across the courtyard.

'Kel is that you?'

Kel and Lucie turned to find the red-headed boy, releasing himself from his clinging sister and running across the courtyard. It was Merric of Hollyrose, tanned from a summer spent out of doors, but nevertheless, the same smiling boy that Kel had rescued from Joren and his cronies.

Kel turned back to the path and continued, she couldn't let him see her, not like this.

'Kel,' he called out, still running, confusion evident in his voice.

'You boy,' called the Sister. 'Please refrain from chasing after one of our students, if she wants to talk to you, she will do so.'

Merric turned, after bowing hurriedly and apologising to the Sister, he spun back around, but Kel had vanished.

As the Sister led the red-headed girl away, he climbed up into the carriage alongside his father.

'It was her, I swear by Mithros it was.'

'Who are you talking about?' questioned his father as the carriage rolled smartly forward.

'Kel…uh Keladry of Mindelan, you know the girl page.'

His father grunted, ever since Merric had come home for the summer he had been going on and on, ranting about the unfairness that this girl page couldn't stay.

'And she was so much better than us,' he had said over and over. 'It wasn't fair, not fair at all.' Until his father's manservant had got so annoyed at Merric's whining that he had told him to go and practise his sword and staff work.

Merric sat back and sighed, staring out of the window at the passing countryside. His father's business in the North had been delayed and he was due back at the palace the day after tomorrow to begin his second year of page training. _Without Kel,_ he thought heavily. _Will she come back one day as a girl-girl from the Convent? _The day before he would've answered with a resounding _No, _convincing himself that Kel was training in the Yamani Isles or with a secret group of warriors. But never had he imagined that she'd give up and go to the Convent of all places. _Unless she was forced to go there _he mused, _I'll have to ask Neal when I get back, maybe Kel's written to him…after all he was always the closest to her. _

* * *

As soon as Merric's back was turned Kel sprinted into a nearby rose garden, Lucie following hurriedly behind. Panting slightly from the sudden exertion she sat on a stone bench her head in her hands. She wanted to cry and wallow in self-pity that Merric would be returning to the palace and not her, but her Yamani mask held. She felt Lucie sit down next to her and put her arm around Kel's shoulder. 

Within a minute Kel sat up straight, with no sign that anything had ever happened. Lucie didn't press the issue, or ask who the boy was. The familiarity with which he had called over to her, brought a whole new level of understanding about Kel to Lucie.

_She had friends, good friends, maybe even lots of them, _thought Lucie. _She was happy doing what she was doing, she truly loved it and yet it was all ripped away from her. For me coming to the Convent was a chance for freedom, it was exciting, but for her this is exile, imprisonment. _

After a while they walked back to Kel's rooms. Lucie wasn't sure what to do. Kel hadn't spoken since the incident with the red-headed boy. Deciding that Kel might want to be alone she was about to leave when Kel said.

'Don't go, I'm sorry…' Kel sighed. 'Why does life have to be so complicated?'

'I don't know,' said Lucie, joining her friend by the window.

'It's just taking me so long to get my thoughts sorted out…'

'I think I would too if I was in your position,' said Lucie softly, trying to get Kel to open up a bit.

'It's just…'

'Yes,' Lucie prompted gently.

'Knighthood was all I ever dreamed of, being like Alanna the Lioness. To have the power to change something for the better and to help people. Last year, well it wasn't easy, but I didn't expect it to be. I had a good friend, Neal his name was, Nealan of Queenscove, Emmeline's brother. Gradually I managed to prove to some of them that girl's could fight. I had a group of friends, Merric of Hollyrose -the boy that recognised me just now- included. But whenever it got hard…whenever it got tough, I carried on because that's how much I wanted to earn my Shield. But now, there just doesn't seem to be a point anymore.' Lucie stayed silent, this was the most Kel had ever talked about her experiences at the palace.

Kel continued, 'In a year I will return to the Yamani Islands and continue some form of training…But I feel…so lost…' Kel shut her mouth, biting her tongue, fearing that if she said anymore she would lose control over the emotions that were swamping her brain.

Realising that Kel wasn't going to say anymore, Lucie cast around for something to say. She couldn't imagine what Kel was going through; disappointment, sorrow, loneliness and she probably felt anger towards Lucie's father too.

'Kel I can't change what happened, nor help you cope with your emotions, but if you ever need to talk about something, I'm always willing to listen, and I just wanted you to know that you have a friend here too. I may not be like Neal or…Merric-'

Kel cut across Lucie, 'I know, and I thank the Gods everyday for it,' she said, giving Lucie a one-armed hug, just like Neal used to give to her.

* * *

That moment when Kel had let down her barrier's and given Lucie a glimpse into her life, was the first and last time that it ever happened. As friends they became closer than sisters. Kel would later reflect that the friendship she shared with Lucie was just as strong as that which she had shared with Neal, only different. 

Kel tried her best to put her past behind her, and live each minute as it came, without trying to stress herself over planning for the future. This seemed to work, because it was Midwinter before she knew it. By now Kel was average in most classes; she could finally sing several Tortallan love songs without the singing teacher wincing, dance full length ballroom dances without putting a foot wrong and her embroidery… well it might get better in time… Kel had discovered that just by putting a little more effort into her work, helped her to move on, and if she kept busy then the only time when she would ever sit and reflect morosely would be just before she went to bed.

Finally the novelty of insulting Kel had worn off and only the most persistent continued to make snide remarks. Mostly Kel's classmates ignored her, but on the occasion when they had to work together, it was without any major disasters.

The only class that Kel couldn't even attempt to succeed in was social interaction. Everyday bought a new nightmare as she was paired with various members of the Convent community for an hour of awkward conversation. Kel was shy at the best of times, but no matter who she was set to talk to, the conversation without fail would always come back to the fundamental question 'Why did you try for Knighthood?' in varying forms of politeness.

This was indeed a tender subject to Kel and she soon tired of trying to justify herself to air-headed noblewomen. Kel even had to force back giggles when some of the more brainless girls asked her in simpering voices about the Prince and the other boys.

'Is the Prince dashingly handsome?' one particularly stupid girl asked, fanning herself distractedly.

The idea that quiet, gentle Prince Roald would even take a second glance at, let along fall in love with the vain, fickle girl in front of Kel was quite ludicrous.

For midwinter Kel decided to give Lucy one of her Yamani Lucky cats. Kel still wore her lucky cat necklace everyday as a reminder that she hadn't given up her dream. Lucie had often commented on the lucky cats.

'I've always loved animals,' remarked Lucie. 'Father breeds the best dogs and horses in the realm,' she had said proudly. 'Once we heard a terrible commotion in the hound shed, Father went running down only to find that a small cat had found its way into the barn and was sitting on a beam. Of course all the dogs below it were going mad. He had to climb up and rescue the poor thing, then he gave her to me.'

Kel wrapped up the lucky cat that Lucie had said reminded her of 'Misty', (the aforementioned cat) and on the first day of Midwinter presented Lucie with her present.

This year had been far less stressful on the gift front; the only person who Kel felt that she should buy a gift for was Lucie, seeing how Lucie was the only person who would willing converse with her.

When Lucie opened her present she let out a squeal of delight.

'It's the one that looks like Misty!' and had hugged Kel, the Lucky cat clutched firmly in her hand. Her bright blue eyes shining, she handed Kel a package. 'Open it,' she urged.

Kel tore open the parcel, inside were two items. The first was a necklace with a beautiful dark green stones set along the way in little bands of silver.

'It's beautiful,' breathed Kel.

'It matches your favourite dress,' pointed out Lucie, positively bouncing up and down in excitement.

The second object was a small curved piece of silver, with small engravings set on it that caught the light. Kel turned it over, puzzled.

'Look,' said Lucie impatiently and pulled the wide end of the silver, out slide a beautifully smooth, tiny metal dagger. 'You fix it in your hair,' explained Lucie, showing Kel the grip on the other side. Then if you need a weapon you can quickly grab it,' she said freeing the tiny weapon and brandishing it in the air. 'I know its not going to run a man through but if you got him in the eyes or something…' she trailed away looking anxiously to see what Kel thought.

'It's perfect!' exclaimed Kel.

Lucie helped Kel fix the dagger into her hair.

'I thought it would be less conspicuous than a sword,' joked Lucie.

'Yeah the sisters might notice if I walked around with my sword,' said Kel happily, putting on the necklace that Lucie had given her.

'You have a sword!' said Lucie impressed.

Kel nodded and from the bottom of the trunk she pulled out the plain leather scabbard and unsheathed the shining metal.

'Wow! Can I hold it?' asked Lucie slightly awed.

'Don't cut any limbs off,' said Kel jokingly.

Lucie took the weapon and fumbled slightly, unprepared for it's weight.

'Well, I think I'll leave chopping up enemies to you if that's alright,' said Lucie smiling and handing the weapon back to Kel.

'Just don't tell the Sisters that I've still got a weapon,' said Kel, turning away and replacing the sword and the bottom of the trunk. With her back to Lucie, her Yamani mask slipped slightly, revealing the pain Lucie's simple remark had just caused. -She would never be a knight.

Her mask back in place she turned back to Lucie and together they went down to the dining hall where a Midwinter feast awaited.

* * *

**(-a/n-** Another long chapter! Please review :D I hope you all have a **Happy New Year! )**

**Confusedknight xxx**


	9. Reflection

**(-a/n- **Hello! Skiing was awesome, we had a brilliant time as there was loads of snow and conditions were perfect :D unfortunately I'm now back at school with mock GCSE's in a week so I'm meant to be revising…yeah updates will be few and far between for the next two weeks I'm afraid. Anyway when I do update I'm trying to lengthen my chapters so at least they'll be long updates. Anyway I hope you all had a fantastic New Year…

**Hyperbookworm, Shadowluck231, brezzybrez, Cheeseycraziness, Pie of Doomeh, AMulata, Ti-Ti, Me**, **Sammy, Yabberli, Aly the Spy, inuyashaswife12, Love's a four-letter word, darkjewelledassassin, after.a.hard.day, oirishgoddess, rvwr, On top of cloud 9, Mrs. Dom Masbolle, theknightofkonaha, Stoned Lorikeet, ****shamrockgirl07, Justanotheraddiction**

**katiebug123**yay! That's what I like to hear! Now I just have to maintain the standards…lol Thanks as always :D

**queenoftheostlers**ooh yes lots of lovely plot ideas were indeed born in France ;D Yup our R.E essay was legendary!

**the. dead. addict.**Don't worry my imagination escapes all the time! Yup drastic is in store… 

Also here's another song for you guys!

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

_**Reflection by Christina Aguilera ** _

Look at me  
You may think you see  
Who I really am  
But you'll never know me  
Every day  
It's as if I play a part  
Now I see  
If I wear a mask  
I can fool the world  
But I cannot fool my heart

Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight back at me?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?

I am now  
In a world where I  
Have to hide my heart  
And what I believe in  
But somehow  
I will show the world  
What's inside my heart  
And be loved for who I am

Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight back at me?  
Why is my reflection  
Someone I don't know?  
Must I pretend that I'm  
Someone else for all time?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be  
Free to fly  
That burns with a need to know  
The reason why

Why must we all conceal  
What we think, how we feel?  
Must there be a secret me  
I'm forced to hide?  
I won't pretend that I'm  
Someone else for all time  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?

Kel ran her fingers over the smooth tempered metal of her sword, fingering the back of the blade quietly and pensively. Gripping the familiar handle she stood up slowly.

'Lady Keladry are you in there?' asked a tart voice.

Kel jumped and hurriedly slid the sword back into the scabbard, burying the weapon in her trunk. Shaking her head at her own folly she went to the door. If the sister hadn't bothered to knock on the door she would have been saying goodbye to the sword before she could say 'unfair.'

Kel opened the door and came face to face with Sister Maera.

'Sister,' she demurred and curtsied dutifully, her face devoid of any emotion, concealing the deep-seated dislike for the sister who had confiscated her glaive and revealed her past to the other convent girls.

'Why aren't you in your social interaction class?'

Kel said nothing.

'Answer me Keladry,' the Sister's tone was icy cold and full of loathing.

Kel looked up and met the narrowed grey eyes that were staring down at her. 

'I went to the class but Dorna didn't want to talk, she seemed too intent on insulting my family. So I left.'

The Sister's eyes bulged. 'I don't like your impertinent tone,' she said, barely controlling her anger. A vein was pulsing on her temple and her nostrils were slits.

'You will return to Dorna at once and apologize for your rudeness. As a punishment you will not be allowed into the City of the Gods for the grand market in two weeks time. Instead you will stay here and reflect on thinking before you act and controlling that insolent tongue.'

Kel thought bitterly that if she did let her 'insolent tongue' loose, then her shouting and cursing of this whole godsdammed place -with the use of some of the more colourful language she'd picked up over the years- would send the Sisters and dainty convent girls into seizures.

Dismissing the idea, Kel followed dutifully, her eyes downcast and resigned herself to another half hour of insults. She knew that the next day she would be the main topic of gossip between Dorna and her air-headed friends, who would mutter in scandalized tones of her barbaric upbringing and unseemly manners.

* * *

_The Page's Quarters, in the Royal Palace, Corus_

Merric, Seaver, Roald, Cleon, Neal and a first year page named Owen had all crowded into Neal's room to study.

'I'm dying,' declared Neal dramatically as he flopped down onto his bed. 'Remember to put daffodils on my grave loved-ones.'

Merric sniggered.

'It's just a few kilos of lead weights,' said Owen practically. 'You're not going to die.'

Neal opened a bleary eye. 'Fine, you can wear my harness tomorrow and exercise with "just a few kilos of lead weights", then you would be able to understand the true depth of my pain and suffering.'

'You know Lord Padraig's methods of training aren't that different from the Stump's,' Seaver mused.

Neal's face darkened at the mention of Lord Wyldon. 'At least Lord Padraig is fair,' he said.

No one needed any further explanation as to what Neal was talking about, the memory of the injustice shown to Kel was still a sore topic.

Owen however blundered in as usual. 'I never knew her but I agree that it sounds completely unfair that she was made to leave. From what I've been told she got into some jolly fights and took Joren and his cronies down a step or two.'

'Unfair hardly covers it,' said Neal grimly, getting up off of the bed and walking to the window. Nowadays he often found himself staring out at the city, wondering what Kel was doing hundreds of leagues away. 

When he had first heard from his sister that Kel was at the Convent he had been stunned. Kel wouldn't just give up like that. It had taken him a few days before it dawned on him that Kel may have had no choice. Neal tried not to think about what would happen if Kel came back in four years from now to be presented as a Lady of the Court.

He turned back into the room with a sigh, and went to make a start on his mathematics homework. For the rest of the evening they worked in an uncomfortable silence, which was broekn only by Owen's cheery whistling. The younger page seemed to be indifferent to the tension in the room.

* * *

Lord Wyldon had resigned as training master two months ago. He had left suddenly, giving no reason for his abrupt departure. Saying only that he chose Lord Padraig haMinch as his successor. The truth was that after Kel had left, the fights had not stopped; her friends had carried on with her war against bullying, almost in a tribute to their lost friend.

Then one day Lord Wyldon had caught Joren, Garvey and Vinson red-handed as they forced the chubby first-year Owen of Jesslaw to perform stupid errands, punching him for 'being to slow.' This had caused Lord Wyldon to reflect upon his training methods. He knew as well as any that the Chamber of Ordeal required a certain amount of flexibility in a person. Had he Lord Wyldon encouraged these boys causing them to become who they were? If that were true then perhaps Keladry was right to fight them.This had troubled Wyldon to the point when he decided that the Pages could benefit from a new training master. He'd been doing this job for ten years now and he much preferred active combat duty. _Before I'm too old _he thought sardonically, I'll get out there and fight for my country once more.

He requested that he join the King's Own, which under fifteen years of Lord Raoul's command had become the main fighting force for the King. There were three companies, each consisting of one hundred well-trained warriors divided into squads of ten. There had been a vacancy for a squad commander in the Third Company and Lord Wyldon had applied to Lord Raoul.

Despite Raoul dislike of conservatives like Lord Wyldon, he didn't share Alanna's deep-seated resentment of the man and knew Wyldon to be a good warrior, the only person who could match him in a joust, and a fine Commander. He accepted Lord Wyldon's application and Lord Wyldon had left the following week, leaving the pages under the wachful eyes of Lord Padraig haMinch.

When all the other pages had left Neal's room that evening he sat by the window, his head buried in his hands trying to solve the many problems that were whirling in his brain.

Ever since his sister had written to him and told him that Kel was at the Convent he had been writing frequent letters to Kel, yet he hadn't received a single reply. Was she ignoring him? Had the letters got lost on the way? Were the Convent Sisters keeping the letters from her? He balled up his hands in frustration.

Standing up and wincing as his sore muscles protested, Neal put away the last of his homework and got into bed, wondering whether Kel was doing the same thing.

* * *

After enduring her 'social interaction' with Dorna, Kel had retreated straight back to her room and locked the door. Lucie had called by half an hour or so later but Kel was in no mood to talk and pretended she was already asleep.

She changed into a nightshirt and extinguished the lamps and fire in her room until the only light was that of the moon which shone down through the window. Opening the window wide Kel climbed up onto the window ledge, shivering slightly in the freezing air. It was the third week of January and snow still lay on the ground, turning everything a brilliant white. The sky was clear and the air temperature was well below freezing.

It was crazy and probably very stupid, Kel thought to be sitting here shivering, but Kel needed some release, something to concentrate on other than Dorna's barbs that still rang in her ears. She was not a failure, in five months she would leave this cursed building and become a respected warrior in the Yamani Islands. Though looking down at her stick thin body, Kel thought she might need some feeding up first.

It was moments like these when Kel was sick of the world. All she had ever done was try to make a difference, to change something and yet it had all been thrown back in her face and she was being punished because of it.

Her thoughts drifted to Neal and the others, many leagues away in Corus. Lucie had told Kel tentatively that her father had resigned from his post. This puzzled Kel, did this mean he was regretting his decision to get rid of her? Or was it completely unrelated?

Kel's eyes watered in the cold air, but she forced herself to look out at the icy beauty of the world, trying to persuade herself that there was still hope. She was still holding on, even if by just a thread. She knew Lucie worried about her, Mithros she worried about herself sometimes! Like now, one rational part of Kel's brain was telling her that sitting on a wide open window in temperatures below freezing was not in fact a good idea. Still, she smiled for Lucie, and put on a brave face, as she always did. Bottling it up until it reached an almost unbearable level.

Her fingers and toes numb Kel finally retreated into the relative warmth of her room. She shut the window quietly and slipped into bed, praying that she might soon be able to leave.

* * *

**(-a/n-** Ok so not that long –I'm sorry- but this is setting up the next chapter in which a major event happens…I also wanted to show what was happening at the Palace etc.. Please review…)

**Confusedknight xxx**


	10. Fallen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters you recognize, they all belong to Tamora Pierce…well duh…but there are also some descriptions in this chapter which you might recognize and they belong to her as well just changed around slightly.

**(-a/n- **Ok so I said I wouldn't update for a while…! But I'm sure you don't mind, it's just I've had eleven exams this week and all of my revision has been last minute. However after finishing the exams I decided to begin to write this chapter and so I wrote and wrote and wrote…this is the longest chapter I've ever, ever written. This chapter has been the central plot point since I started planning the story and I wanted it to be perfect :D . Still before you read this chapter I will warn you that it's **not** a happy one. Some of you may be getting fed up with all the angst but I shall now explain my reasoning.

First of all I wanted to write a story in which Kel got kicked out, then I listened to the song Fallen and it seemed to tie in nicely. My next logical thought was where should she go? I didn't want her to just run away because I personally think that Kel is stronger than that. One of the main things that I've had to think really carefully about with this story is Kel's character…she's a very strong person but she's also human and it's quite a fine balance (which I hope I've managed to get right). But my plot did want Kel to run away (as it said in the summary) so I had to place Kel into a situation where she would finally snap and run away. I'm a bit nervous at writing this chapter because I've no idea whether or not you'll all like it but here goes…)

**Pie of Doomeh**lol I think I've failed Chemistry anyway but never mind…hehehe

**SarahE7191**ew…that's disgusting!! Having ribs taken out…-shudders- lol

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**no offence taken :D The (main) plot will really start in this chapter. The reason why its taken a bit long to get going is because I wanted a thorough base to work on, lots of details over the past few chapters will be more significant later on and I didn't want to rush. Anyway…things will become a lot more active after this chapter…

**the. dead. addict.**Thanks!

**SavingSaturn**Thanks :D

**theknightofkonaha**ok!

**kitty-moogles**This is the last chapter in which convent stuff will be occurring. Yup exams suck –sniffs- still…omg! Someone actually read my profile!! Hehehe yup those are two wicked authors, I wish they'd hurry up and write more!!

**after.a.hard.day**yeah evil convent ladies stole them…

**On top of cloud 9**hehe…Have you ever been skiing?

**Hyperbookworm **yeah poor Neal…

**Spy In Training**it will end happily but it will get worse before it gets better…

**Yabberli**yup I hate Christina Aguilera too…but not that song :D Yeah I couldn't resist Neal Daffodils :D

**Love's a four-letter word**Yup :D

**BSGirl**Thanks!

**Justanotheraddiction **Updating… :D

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**queenoftheostlers**Crazy little beastie. Hope you're feeling better ;D

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**Erytha**ok thanks…

**Me **Thanks :D

**katiebug123**Ok, thanks for the comments. I've taken a lot more time over this chapter, partly because of it's length. So hopefully it will be better :D

**Blaz-Grl**Thanks :D

**oirishgoddess**yeah but we do love Owen for it :D

**Tears of Winter**wow! That is the first time anyone has ever dreamed about my fanfiction :D I'm honoured lol :D Thanks for reviewing…

**inuyashaswife12**wait and see…

**alynawatlovers**yeah it's a shame that Kel and Owen haven't met…sniffs…

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**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

For all that it was a Sunday the Convent was remarkably quiet. Most of the girls had risen early, made the compulsory visit to the Goddess's temple to pray, eaten breakfast and had hurried off into the City of the Gods. It was the day of the Grand Market, a day that had been the topic of excited conversation for many weeks, especially since it was rumoured that there were soldiers in town.

The majority of the Convent population had left the Convent their purses full and jangling in anticipation of all the pretty things that they could purchase from the traders. There hadn't been a market since before Midwinter due to bad weather and most girls still had money leftover which was itching to be spent.

Only a few stayed behind, mainly the older girls who had lost interest in such things or those who were ill or forbidden to go. After her 'impertinent' behaviour two weeks previously Kel was one of those who had been forced to stay behind. Not that she minded much, she had no particular desire to gawk and giggle at soldiers, although it would've been nice to leave the convent for an hour or so. Upon hearing that Kel wasn't going, Lucie valiantly offered to stay behind and although Kel argued with her at first Lucie insisted that she wouldn't have much fun anyway if she had to spend the day with the other girls in their year.

And so the two girls slept in late and enjoyed freedom from the strict timetable that usually ruled their lives. The only obligatory thing that they had to do between the time they got up and the time they went to bed was visit the temple, and even that would only take about thirty minutes at the most. They spent the morning in amiable chatter, playing a Yamani card game which Lucie had taken to.

* * *

Dom shivered, looking around at the bleak city spread before him.

'Cheerful looking place,' he remarked to no one in particular.

Domitian of Masbolle had been in the King's Own for just over a year and a half. Tall and broad-shouldered his blue eyes surveyed their surroundings with an appraising calm. They had been called to the area after reports of strange activity in the woods as well as several sightings of bandits.

He was stationed in Rowan's squad of the Third Company, and riding under the command of Lord Raoul. The company had split, leaving half camped further along the border helping to rebuild some towns that had been destroyed by flooding, whilst Lord Raoul rode to the City of the Gods with five squads to try and get to the bottom of all the strange disappearances in the woods.

Looking down upon the City Dom realised that in actually fact in wasn't very big at all, not even half the size that Corus was. Ahead of them, where the city stopped was a vast expanse of trees, stretching into the distance. To Dom it seemed like it would be impossible for them to find anything in there.

He mentioned this to Lord Wyldon, who was in command of the fourth squad.

'This is very true,' agreed Lord Wyldon, rubbing his injured arm distractedly. 'But there is a road that runs through the trees as well as several villages. From the sightings and reports we've been able to narrow down the area where we might find them.' He gestured to a part of the forest, 'I believe the plan is that a squad rides in there, dresses as simple travellers, in an attempt to lure out the bandits, whilst two squads back them up. If we come across a large number of them then the remaining three squads will all be close enough to answer a summons for help.'

Dom still didn't look convinced so Lord Wyldon said, 'There haven't been any attacks for several weeks. It may be that the bandits have moved on, if so we'll simply leave tomorrow. But if they are still here then they're going to be pretty desperate to get some food, especially after all the bad weather they've been having and are likely to fall for the trap.'

Geran's Squad had dressed in plain travelling clothes and had dulled down their horses, concealing their weapons beneath large cloaks. Lord Wyldon's squad and Roran's squad, along with Lord Raoul were the back up.

'Really we need the riders for this sort of thing,' said Raoul, 'But there aren't any Rider groups near here, so we'll have to make do.'

The two back-up squads dismounted and left their horses at the camp on the outskirts of the city. As carefully and as quietly as possible the twenty one men entered the dense woods on foot. Soon all noise of the city was swallowed up until they could just hear the noise of the forest. The disguised squad up ahead was making as much noise as possible, their mounts crashing through the forest, their riders laughing and talking uproariously. It was very easy to follow their trail. For about forty minutes they walked without even so much as a clue that their might be any other life in the forest, when very suddenly the loud chatter from the first squad stopped.

'Who goes there?' boomed Halcorm, a big giant of a man from the first squad. It was the pre-arranged signal.

Raoul was smiling, 'Once all this is over remind me to thank the Gods for Halcorm's voice. It can be heard for miles, come on let's go.'

And stealthily the men crept up and surveyed the scene before them. Bandits had surrounded the ten men from the first squad and were conversing in low tones that couldn't be heard over the distance.

'God's I hate fighting in land like this,' sighed Raoul. 'One…Two…THREE!!'

And the fifth and fourth squads burst out of the trees in the pre-arranged formation. Several of the bandits dropped dead, arrows sticking out of their backs, the work of several men from the fourth squad who had concealed themselves in the bushes as archers.

The fight was over quickly as the men over-powered the bandits.

'Right, we need to call in the reinforcements and we'll follow their trails back to their camp.'

'Sir, there were eleven men who overpowered us but there are only ten here now,' pointed out a man from the first squad, looking around at the captives and the dead men strewn about the floor.'

Raoul cursed, 'He'll have gone to warn the others,' he looked at Lord Wyldon, his expression questioning.

'We'll have to go straight away and hope that the reinforcements arrive soon.'

Raoul nodded in agreement, 'Have two men on horseback ride to get the second and third squads. Then leave five men to lead the captives back to the camp. Everyone else comes with us.'

Lord Wyldon hurried away, issuing orders to various people that stood around cleaning bloody weapons or plucking arrows out of fallen men. In under five minutes the men had reformed their squads and Raoul lead them cautiously through the forest. They followed the fairly obvious tracks left by the recently deceased bandits, right back until they came to a small settlement. It was fairly obvious that the bandits had been installed here for quite a while, although not long enough for it to pass as an ordinary village. The houses were made from crude timber beams, nailed hastily together. There were a few dogs hanging around the place and clean washing hung dripping on a line, pegged down firmly in the gusting wind.

Raoul turned and signalled for his men to crouch down in the undergrowth. Leaving one man to act as a lookout, he signalled for his men's undivided attention.

'I want this to be a quick fight,' he whispered. 'Ignore the women and children; I'll have no slaughter of innocent people today. Try to avoid killing the men if you can but don't endanger your own lives in the process. Wyldon take your squad around the back of the village and fan out in a circle staying hidden until the fighting starts. Prevent anyone from fleeing and if we look to be outnumbered join in the fight. Geran's squad is going to come with me into the village, we're going to try to draw them out of their hidey holes and if that fails then we start work on the buildings. Roran's squad you're back up, I want you to prevent escape from this side of the village.'

Without further ado, Lord Wyldon led his squad around the back of the village. After waiting for five minutes Raoul hefted his great frame up out of the foliage and strolled towards the village Geran's squad following close behind.

Dom and the others left from Roran's squad spread out, not bothering to conceal themselves after Raoul had announced their presence so openly.

'Lay down your weapons and submit to the Law of King Jonathan of Tortall,' boomed Raoul's voice, echoing slightly in the empty forest.

Dom shivered, the adrenaline was coursing through him as his body prepared for battle. He shifted on the spot. It was cold in the gloom of the forest being only the first week of February. Frost still covered some of the plants and now Dom had stopped moving he was getting chilly. He hoped the suspense wouldn't last much longer, wished that the bandits would simply surrender and they'd all be able to return to their camp, without any further bloodshed and Dom would buy himself a drink with the other men. Then he would return to his tent and sleep the tiredness from his cold limbs.

But it was not to be, grubby looking men were advancing, carrying an assortment of weapons and were all striding towards Lord Raoul and Geran's men. The fighting began and it turned out, to the utmost displeasure of the men of the King's Own, that there were far more men left in the town than previously anticipated and none of them wanted to turn themselves, or their wives or children over to Raoul.

Roran beckoned his squad forward into the fighting. Dom drew his sword and still keeping an eye on the men around him, selected his target and engaged in a brutal exchange of arm-numbing blows. Just as Dom succeeded in disarming his opponent and knocking him unconscious with the flat of his blade, he heard an agonized yell to his right. Whirling about he saw Roran, an arrow sticking out of his chest falling to the floor in horrible, twitching convulsions. Just by looking at him Dom saw that there was no hope for his squad leader, a lump formed in his throat and he said a noiseless prayer that the Black God ease Roran's suffering.

He then turned, his blue eyes scanning the field for the enemy archer who was selecting another target.

'Hassen,' bellowed Dom, 'Take down that archer.' Hassen, a Bazhir who was short and slender followed Dom's line of sight and calmly placed a new arrow on his bow string and shot the offending archer, who fell backwards, dead.

Realising that half of Roran's squad had stopped fighting to gawp and gather round Geran's body, Dom decided that someone needed to take charge.

'Hassen, Symric, form a back-up, pick off lone enemy and kill any other archers,' he called calmly assessing the situation.

'Peter, Seth, don't just stand there, get to it. You're with me, you too Luke.' And the four of them threw themselves back into the thick of the fighting. Raoul's men were outnumbered two to one, the odds weren't looking good. If they were mounted then they could have retreated, regrouped and charged again, but Raoul had no choice but to carry on fighting, felling bandits with massive sweeps of his enormous long sword.

Dom's men darted in and out of the battle, knocking unsuspecting bandits unconscious, much to the relief of the soldier they'd been fighting against. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that a group of the bandits had broken away and were attempting to sneak around the back in order to surround Raoul and Wyldon. Without thinking he called out to his two back up archers and together with Seth and Luke, formed a right flank to Raoul's two-pronged attack.

It did the trick and although the battle raged on, the numbers were slightly more even now. Knocking yet another man unconscious he helped Luke disarm the man whom he was fighting. After what seemed like an age the bandits retreated into their buildings, barricading themselves in desperately.

Raoul hurriedly shouted out orders to all the men. Dom was just wiping a sleeve across his sweaty brow when the bandits rushed out once more in one final, desperate attack. Lord Wyldon was ordering his remaining men into a defensive position on the left of the town. Raoul's men, consisting mainly of Geran's squad, took the centre. Dom instinctively called out to the leaderless men from Roran's squad and took them to the right side of the defensive line, to meet the oncoming attack.

Raoul looked over and saw that the young soldier Domitian of Masbolle was ordering his men into position. He had one man with a bleeding shoulder who stood behind as well as the Bazhir archer Hassen. Raoul smiled to himself.

Turning back to the bandits that advanced before them, time seemed to still. Lord Raoul hadn't expected the bandits to put up this much resistance and he wasn't sure how many of them remained in the town. Once again the two sides met, and finally over the clash of metal on metal, he heard the horn that signalled the arrival of the two back up squads. Calling his soldiers into retreat he turned to see Lord Wyldon and Dom doing likewise. The soldiers ran backwards. Those bandits that pursued them were cut down, and the ones that stayed behind all retreated back to their pitiful houses.

After that it didn't take long for the two fresh squads to ferret out the remaining resistors whilst any who tried to make an escape were caught by members of Lord Wlydon's squad.

Eventually in the middle of the town stood a fair number of women and children. The group also included a few elderly men and the men who had either been injured or rendered unconscious in the fight.

The dead bandits had been piled unceremoniously in a heap whereas Roran and Will, the only two fatalities from the King's own, had been laid out ready to be carried back to the City of the Gods.

Raoul beckoned Lord Wyldon, the commanders of the reinforcement squads and as an afterthought Dom.

'I want everyone to clean up here as quickly as possible, the weather is going to break quite soon,' he said peering up through the dense branches to the grim, cloudy sky beyond. 'Hand them all over to the City's law enforcers, I don't want to have to stick around for another two weeks watching all their trials and punishments. I want us to leave tomorrow morning. We did what we came for, and we need to return to Flyndan and the other squads, before this weather gets really nasty.' He then dismissed the Sergeants of the second and third squads.

Turning to Dom Raoul said, 'Nice work today, you saved us from a rather tight spot back then. I think Wyldon will agree with me when I say that good commanders, ones who have an eye out for everyone under their command, are very rare. '

Lord Wyldon nodded in agreement.

'Thank you Sir,' murmured Dom, feeling slightly awkward yet pleased by the praise, especially since it came from the two most famed commanders of the present day.

'I'm going to say this bluntly Dom, do you want to take command of Roran's squad?'

Dom was struck speechless, whatever he had expected that was not it. He had only been in the King's Own for a year an a half. Was he really ready to command a squad?

'What about Symric, Luke…' he faltered, 'They've been in the Own longer than I have.'

Raoul shook his head, 'Neither of them are commanders. They're valuable soldiers but only as long as they have someone telling them what to do. I know that Roran has only just died, but when riding around out here I'm not comfortable leaving a squad without a leader, there's no telling what we might come across and if we do get into fight I would rather that every man was under the command of someone I trust.'

Somehow Raoul's placing of his trust in Dom settled some unresolved arguments inside Dom's mind.

'I'll do it.'

'Excellent,' said Raoul clapping a massive hand onto Dom's shoulder. 'May I be the first to offer you my congratulations Sergeant Domitian of Masbolle.'

Just then Dom caught a glimpse of something moving in the trees behind where Raoul and Wyldon stood. Wordlessly he pointed to where a large hulking shape was lumbering through the trees, away from the village.

Leaving the hubbub of the village behind them they crept forward. The beast was moving fast away from them, becoming ever smaller in the thick forest, barely visible through the trees.

'Mithros, Minoss and Shakith,' Raoul swore, 'If that's natural I'll eat my tunic.'

'An Immortal?' said Wyldon questioningly.

'Yes,' said Raoul grimly. 'And I've a pretty good idea what it is. Hurry, we can't let it get away.'

'What about the Men?'

'They know what to do, they'll think we've ridden off to go fetch the magistrates or something, come on,' whispered Raoul urgently.

They began to run, it didn't seem likely that the beast would hear them, and even so, their running only just matched the beast's hulking strides.

Dom's breathing came in short and painful gasps. Sprinting through dense forest for what seemed like hours, had not been on his list of things to do as a Sergeant. Raoul was moving with an urgency that frightened Dom slightly. The constant running meant that neither of the men had any chance to communicate. Lord Wyldon and Dom just followed Raoul, taking comfort in the fact that there were three of them and only one of it.

Eventually the trees thinned out, and gave way to a large sloping hill which rose gently upwards and which had built upon it, the unmistakably architecture of a temple dedicated to the Great Mother Goddess.

* * *

Kel and Lucie had frittered away the day, playing cards, talking and doing nothing in particular, passing the time in amiable companionship, the way good friends can.

It was mid-afternoon by the time Lucie suggested that they'd better make their way up to the Temple to pray. The air was damp and chilly and the clouds overhead seemed to be preparing for more snow.

Their pace up to the temple was nothing short of a march, aiming to keep as warm as possible, even though their breath rose in steam in front of them. Wiping dirt off of their delicate shoes, the two eleven-year-olds entered the ancient building. It was deserted. The Sister's who normally ran the Temple also had a day off. Kel and Lucie went to the leather-bound book that lay on a small table and signed it so that the Sisters would know that they had been here.

Neither girls were particularly devout in their worship of the Great Mother, but as they had walked all the way here it seemed prudent to pray for a bit. Kel cast her eyes downward, fixing on the dark blue fabric of her warm dress and began as she always did, by assuming the calm state of mind which the Yamani's had instilled in her. Her breathing slowed and she relaxed visibly. She was just considering the words with which to best address the Goddess, and pray as she always did for some redemption, some way in which she might still achieve her dream, when she heard the door open and heavy foot falls on the stone floor.

Something in that heavy sound alerted Kel and she opened her eyes and turned around. The sight that greeted her would be one which would haunt her for the rest of her life. A massive beast, seven feet tall stood in the doorway. He had a bull's broad neck, large eyes and on top of his head were two broad horns. His nose almost resembled a human's but his jaws were large, slathering and his face wore an expression of undeniable triumph.

Most his body resembled a human's but grossly enlarged and thickened. He wore no clothes and to one side she could glimpse a bull's tail. It was a tauros. The very name of the immortal had instilled fear into hundreds of generations of women, for all the stories of tauros attacks were far too detailed and despite the fact none of the women were still alive at the end of it to tell the tale.

Suddenly Lucie screamed, having spotted the creature. Kel leapt up and for a moment her fear had caused her to forget about Lucie. Without a second thought she dragged Lucie to her feet and pulled her out of the pews. Kel ran across the space to the altar, searching desperately for something to defend herself with. Lucie's terrified screaming filled the temple and seemed only to aggravate the beast further. The tauros let out a deafening bellow, and lurched forward.

At last Kel spotted a weapon. An old broadsword was displayed on the wall, along with an axe, much like the sacred weapons of the Yamani temple, that her mother was famous for saving. She yanked it off the wall. It was heavy, much heavier than her own sword. Gripping it in two sweaty hands she leapt back toward where Lucie was cowering in a corner. The beast had slowed and seemed to be assessing it's prey. It turned it's slow head to fix unblinking eyes upon Kel, who stopped. She glanced around wildly for an escape route, somewhere to where Lucie could run whilst she fended the beast off.

Almost as if it knew what she was thinking, the air shimmered silver and the main doors swung closed with a sound that resonated round the temple. The silver mist covered the doors behind the altar too, that opened onto a large platform on the hill. When the echoes stopped all that could be heard were the harsh sounds of the beasts breathing and Lucie's terrified whimpering.

The tauros seemed to have made it's decision however and started once again toward Lucie. _Oh no you don't, _thought Kel grimly and ploughed forward she swung the mighty sword upwards and brought it down, but the beast deflected the blow with one huge horn. Kel's attack seemed to have provoked it however and although Kel had darted backwards it started towards her instead. Kel had a brief moment of triumph, Lucie was safe for the time being, but all that feeling drained from her as she realised that now the beast was coming for her and all she had to defend herself was a sword which she could barely swing fast enough to surprise anything.

Deciding that being backed into a corner wasn't the best idea, Kel gritted her teeth and like many times before in her life, she stood her ground.

As the beast grew within the distance of her sword she stepped nimbly forward and stabbed the beast's shoulder. Thick drops of glutinous silver blood spattered onto the stone floor and it howled, with anger rather than pain as the blow hadn't been very deep.

Without pausing to breath Raoul led them up the hill, which made Dom's already aching legs start to burn with exertion. When they reached the top, it was fairly obvious where the Tauros was as large hoof prints were embedded in the ground from the beast's sheer weight. Raoul was on his way to the door when it slammed shut, sparkling silver. Raoul tentatively touched the silver cloud, and withdrew his hand as though he'd been burnt. Cursing loudly he kicked the stone wall in frustration and ran to one of long windows, closely followed by Dom and Wyldon.

The sight that greeted him from the inside was one of the strangest and most horrifying he had ever seen. Inside, the tauros, for his first guesses had been correct, stood motionless. Raoul's gaze fell on the form of a sobbing girl and horror rose in his chest. He couldn't get in. He had defeated giants and yet he couldn't get into the temple to save that little girl. The windows would be impossible to break, as he knew that mages strengthened them when the temple was first built. Indeed the only way into any temple was by the two doors, one facing south, the other north and currently they were both sealed off by the magic of the Immortals.

It was one of the few times in his life when he had felt completely helpless. The tauros was in there with a young girl and he, the supposedly mighty warrior was out here. Lord Wyldon stopped beside him and Dom followed, when Wyldon let out a cry of horror.

'Lucie!'

Dom looked in on the scene, horror building in his chest. He could just hear Wyldon's agonized yells of horror. Dom presumed that the girl was his daughter. His pity for the poor man who would undoubtedly have to watch his daughter die, was matched with hatred for the beast and horror for what would undoubtedly be a slow and painful death for the girl.

Then something happened that none of them had counted on. A second girl appeared at the beasts left shoulder, wielding a large and heavy-looking sword which Dom was surprised she could even lift.

Wyldon gasped through his tears and Lord Raoul started.

'Please tell me that isn't who I think it is,' said Raoul staring transfixed at the small, brown-haired girl who was now occupying the immortal's attention.

'It's her,' stated Wyldon his voice choked. He began to run, desperately seeking a way to reach the two girls, pounding on the windows, although no one inside seemed to hear him. Raoul and Dom could do nothing but wait, the sheer hopelessness of the situation crashing down upon them.

'Sir, who is it?' asked Dom, confused at the expression on Raoul's face. Was it a glimmer of hope?

'Keladry of Mindelan, the girl who tried for knighthood.'

And suddenly Dom understood, and hope to surged in his chest, this girl would've had training, maybe she could hold the beast off for long enough for them to find a mage. But then another wave of realisation hit him, if Wyldon had let her stay she wouldn't have been in this situation. He shuddered to imagine what Lord Wyldon must be going through, knowing that it was not only his daughter, but also the girl, whom some said had been unjustly dismissed.

Kel was not aware of anything except her and the monster that stood before her. It was like a nightmare, a hellish situation with no escape. Time seemed to still as she and the monster weighed each other up. She banished all terrified thought from her brain and lifted the sword again. This time however it was wary and dodged her deadly swing, backhanding with a grunt of effort she managed to create another shallow wound which leaked silver blood.

The sword was too heavy and Kel's arms too weak. Her third swing was too slow and the beast lurched forward twisting the weapon from Kel's grip in one fluid motion. Kel was jerked forward by the unexpected attack, and the beast second horn gouged her. Scarlet blood began to seep from the long wound which extended the full width of her chest, just below her collarbones. She was lucky the horn hadn't caught on any bone else she would have been seriously injured. As it was the force of the blow had tossed her clean off her feet. The ripped material of her dress around the wound was already stained red, but she didn't think that her injuries were life threatening, not yet anyway.

The main problem seemed to be that her only weapon and last chance of defending herself lay on the floor about ten metres away from where she lay. Her brain seemed to register defeat numbly and somehow all thought deserted Kel as she watched the beast surge forward in triumph.

It was upon her before she had time to think or scream for help, its huge mass bearing down on her. It ripped at her underskirts and Kel's mind wondered dimly if this was the end. Meanwhile four sets of the eyes watched helplessly as they saw first hand the true monstrosity of a tauros attack. Kel began to scream as it continued its merciless attack and the cavernous temple rang with the blood-chilling sound.

During those endless minutes of pain and blinding despair all rational thought left Kel and all the walls which she had worked so hard to build around herself were shattered. Gone was the calm, determined warrior of a few minutes previously, and all that lay in its place was a terrified eleven-year-old girl, screaming in unbearable agony.

It was horrific to watch although somehow they seemed frozen in place, unable to tear their eyes upon the scene before them.

Kel could barely focus, all she could feel was pain, her mouth was open and she realised that she was screaming although she did nothing to stop herself. Reaching up with one, small, blood-covered hand she reached into her hair and then drove her hand upwards. When she unclasped her hand a silver handle was just visible embedded in the beast's chest, embedded in it's heart. Then she reached up and pulled in out. It was like a barrel had been uncorked and suddenly the beast's life blood poured out in a torrent onto Kel. It twitched and shuddered twice then collapsed dead onto Kel.

The silver light that had been covering the doors disappeared as the beast expelled it's last breath and the three men sprinted to the door, Lord Wyldon in the lead. They wrenched it open and sprinted down the isle and onto the area of open space before the altar. Wyldon ran to Lucie and Raoul and Dom ran to where the beast lay. Hauling the carcass to the side, where it lay, no less ugly in death than it had been in life, revealed the small blood-soaked form of Kel.

Neither men knew what to do; this girl had killed the tauros, saved Lord Wyldon's daughter, but at what terrible price.

Her brown eyes stared up, in numb shock at what had just happened, tears streaming unnoticed down her bloody cheeks. Lord Wyldon had taken off his tunic and covered his shaking daughter in it and picked her up. He walked towards where Dom and Raoul stood looking down on Kel.

Dom crouched down and took Kel's icy hand; she flinched but didn't seem to notice it. She was stared in uncomprehendingly at Lord Wyldon. Then suddenly something seemed to click somewhere in the recesses of her mind. Kel leapt up, ignoring the pain she began to run. Her sudden departure had taken them all by surprise.

Raoul cursed yet again and Dom and Raoul followed her out of the door and onto the square, paved platform. Kel had already reached the end of the platform, a silhouette against the dim light of the sinking sun. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks and the wind whipped her tattered dress around her blood-covered form. Wordlessly she turned and ran. About halfway down the slope she tripped and fell. Kel rolled onwards gaining speed until she crashed into the bushes of the forest.

Dom was running after her, but she was way ahead. Turning back one last time Kel wrenched off the stupidly delicate shoes which had been the reason for her fall, and in a gesture of last defiance lobbed them up the slope where they landed a few metres in front of Dom. Then she disappeared into the forest.

Dom knew it was no good, he'd never catch up with her. So he stepped forward and gently picked up the shoes that were covered in mud, silver immortal blood and the red blood of the girl herself.

On the platform Raoul and Wyldon were discussing what they should do next. Lucie was crying into her father's shoulder, traumatized by the whole experience. Lord Wyldon, was listening to Raoul, his mind working furiously, not noticing the silent tears that slid down his cheeks and Raoul knew better than to point this fact out to him.

As Dom rejoined them, he spoke urgently to Raoul.

'Sir, that girl needs medical treatment for mental and physical trauma. We have to find her before it gets dark or before the weather breaks.'

'We'll return to the camp immediately and alert the squads there,' said Wyldon decisively, 'But I need to get care for Lucie too.'

Raoul nodded looking sympathetically at the still trembling girl in Wyldon's arms.

'You will tell no one the truth of what happened here today. We have no right to tell others the horrors which –' his voice became choked, ' which Kel suffered here today like it was some horror story. If she chooses to tell people then that's her choice, but if everyone knew what happened she would never want to return. When we get back to Corus I'm going to tell haMinch to offer a place to Kel in page training, what she did back there was more noble than what half the knights you'll ever meet have ever done.'

Raoul finished his speech his eyes shining with sorrow. Wyldon and Dom nodded in agreement.

'So mote it be,' murmured Lord Wyldon.

'I'll never tell a soul,' whispered Lucie in a strangled voice. Raoul started, he'd forgotten about Lucie for a moment. They spoke for another few minutes, deciding on a suitable cover-up story.

The three of them went their separate ways, Lord Wyldon to deliver his daughter to the Convent and to inform them that Kel had run away.

There story was to stick as closely to the truth as possible. They had seen the tauros in the woods, tracked it to the temple, arrived in time to save the two girls, but Kel had panicked and run away.

An hour later the woods by the convent were teaming with soldiers, all looking for a small brown-haired girl in a tattered dress. The light had almost completely faded and their torches were the only means of light in the utter darkness of the forest.

Finally it began to snow, large icy flakes drifting from the sky and the searchers were forced to admit defeat. They would try again tomorrow. In the meantime Raoul hoped that Kel had found a nice warm hiding place because if the mage's weather predictions were correct a large amount of snow was due to fall over the next few days.

When Dom returned to his tent he was frozen to the core and wet from the falling snow. Yet he felt oddly apart from it all, as though the horrors of the afternoon had somehow separated him from his new squad. Even though he was exhausted sleep didn't come easily. The horrific scenes of earlier replayed in his head and he could only imagine where Kel was now, curled up in the snow somewhere too exhausted to go on…

And though he had managed to stop himself earlier, he now let the tears flow. Tears for the price paid by Kel to keep her friend safe and for the horrors she had endured. Eventually he drifted off into an uneasy sleep, full of hulking monsters and screaming girls.

* * *

Kel meanwhile had run, not directly into the forest but had skirted along the edge of the town and had hidden. Sure enough an hour or so later the King's Own camp had become completely deserted. She crept into one of the supply wagons and drew out a clean shirt, breeches and a thick. She also stole a loaf of bread and some beef jerky. She changed into the clean clothes and washed the blood from off her face. Kel un-tethered a horse from where he was grazing with the rest of the spare mounts and led him gently away into the trees.

Knowing that the woods would be swarming with soldiers, she headed into the main town. It grew dark and began to snow, gently at first and then the snow fell from the sky with increasing frequency until the air was full of the swirling flakes.

Kel left the horse out of sight, tied to a tree and hoped that no one would see it. She then went to the Convent one last time. She scrambled up onto the stable roof and edged along it till she found the window to her room. Sliding it up silently, Kel entered the dark room. She had come back for one purpose, for her sword.

It lay innocently at the bottom of the trunk, so far away when she had needed it most. Emotionlessly she picked it up and strapped it around her waist, along with a dagger and a purse full of all the money she owned. Without another glance she left the Convent, for good.

Once she was back in the woods, astride the stolen horse. The wave of numbness left her and tears began to fall again, streaming down her icy cheeks. The snow was falling thicker than ever. Time was lost to her, all rational thought was bent on getting as far away from that Gods-cursed place as possible.

When she could ride no more, in the breaking of the light that illuminated a world partially covered in snow, where the thick tree branches had only protected some parts of the forest floor from the deep covering of snow.

Seeing a small stream she dismounted, by now not caring whether the horse ran away or not. The water was freezing and pain stabbed at the fingers which were dabbling in the brook. The shock, pain and realisation overwhelmed the poor girl, and great bone-shaking sobs wrenched from her body. Kel's small form shook and yet more tears coursed down her cheeks as she clutched herself trying desperately to seek comfort or some respite from the memories that were haunting her.

About ten metres or so away from the girl, concealed behind a tree, a woman stood, watching. She was tall and her face beautiful. The skin was a perfect white colour, her lips full and red. The emerald eyes that completed the perfect image of the beautiful lady were full of tears. Tears for the suffering of the girl that sat before her.

* * *

**(-a/n- **So…any bright little people out there recognize the lady???...hehehe…Pretty please with a cherry on top tell me what you think in a lovely long review :D )

**Confusedknight xxx**


	11. Flight

**(-a/n- **Sorry for the slight delay in updating, school has kept me busy with various concert rehearsals, sports matches etc. Despite my Mother's frequent predictions that all my time spent on fanfiction is distracting me from my work, I managed to get A stars in all my mocks, so there! Fanfic is very good for the brain and is especially good for your English. Everyone write lots of fanfic! hehehe...Anyway...

Wow the review response has completely blown me away, I'm so mind-bogglingly happy at the way this story is going! So thanks and plentiful supplies of Smarties to all my fantastic reviewers ;D Also if you are enjoying this story I would be honoured if you added it to your favourites list :P –hint hint- anyway after that shameless bit of begging hehehe…we shall continue with the story.

Firstly two things that cropped up; the mysterious woman was the Great Mother Goddess, for all of you who didn't recognize the description. Secondly, yes Kel was raped, I'm sorry if that was a little unclear but I didn't want to make it too graphic or anything…lol )

**da shiz mint**How come you haven't had sleep for three days?

**BubbleGumEcstasy**yeah, it was always the main idea for Kel to escape but the Convent scenes were just there to prepare for it…

**Golden23**lol, indeed!

**Eclipsa**Thanks ;D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**the Goddess isn't going to take any _direct_ part in Kel's training…

**SarahE7191**updating…

**Erynfaer**thanks, it was so good to write fanfic again and concentrate on something other than exams!

**nativewildmage**lol, I did warn you that it wouldn't be a happy fic. Well not to begin with anyway…

**queenoftheostlers**thanks :D Glad you're feeling better…

**On top of cloud 9**yah! You are a bright little person :D tee hee… Nope she didn't get her glaive back…It would be rather conspicuous when she was travelling around so I "arranged" for her glaive to be confiscated a while back…Yeah I tried snowboarding it was soooo fun!

**brezzybrez**hehehe thanks!

**Yabberli**long chapters may be the best but they take AGES to write…hehehe!

**Yo **aw thanks :D

**theknightofkonaha**sorry :D didn't mean to leave it on a cliffie these things just sort of happen…lol

**after.a.hard.day**lol, no it most certainly wasn't Neal as a woman! teehee

**fjk **Thanks ;D

**inuyashaswife12**Kel ran because after what happened she would've been in shock and people tend to try to run away from bad things and go into denial or depression or something…

**justanotheraddiction **lol I love Dom too, and there will be more of him in later chapters…

**K.D. Rai**lol. No the Goddess won't be _directly _involved because…I dunno it would just be a bit cliché and Kel doesn't have the gift or anything…but that's not to say the Goddess will be oblivious to Kel…hehe I'm being evasive…I apologize…

**the. dead. addict.**I'm trying to update as fast as I can whilst balancing schoolwork and everything else… :D

**Stoned Lorikeet**Thanks !!

**giff4088 **Kel will eventually meet up with her friends…eventually she's got a long way to go before then though…

**mylovelyminion **thanks for reviewing :D

**Pie of Doomeh**lol thanks for the nice long review hehehe

**Erytha**Thanks as always ;D

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**lol don't worry you were right! Mmm this has turned out as a rather dramatic story…oh well makes it more fun to write!

**oirishgoddess**lol it does actually looking back on it!

**Grace of Masbolle **thanks!

**Serilia**Thanks :D

**Aly the Spy**Please don't die! I'm glad you liked it!

**brighid's flame**lol I know, but there will be a happy ending :D

**alynawatlovers**yeah it's slightly ironic, they finally meet but it's not under very good circumstances at all…thanks for reviewing :D

**Spy In Training**Thanks :D

**BSGirl**I know…-sniffs- I'm evil. Still…thanks ;D

**darkjewelledassassin**Thanks :D

**Me **mmm… the trouble is that now I have to make all my chapters equally long and interesting which is going to mean a lot of hard work…-sighs- still it's worth it when I read all the reviews :D

**Sarra's wildchild**lol thanks ;D

**Hasamaki**Yup!

**katiebug123**Yay!! A happy reviewer! Hehe, seriously though thanks for all the tips over the past few chapters they definitely made me up my standard of writing which is one of the reasons why I write fanfic :D

**Victoria **Yeah, I'm definitely going to keep writing, it's just finding the time in my very hectic life…

**Penny **seee..reviewing isn't that hard…now you just have to do it for every chapter!

**SecretatMidnight**Thanks…

**Bertie Botts **yay thanks!

**Elentariel**Thanks for reviewing :D

**Hyperbookworm **Wow! Thanks for the compliments they encourage me to write more :D

Thanks yet again to all you wonderful people who find it in your hearts to review :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

When Dom woke up he hardly felt any better than he had when he'd fallen asleep. He had slept in fits and starts all night, waking up to escape from the horrible images being replayed over and over in his nightmares. 

He struggled into a clean shirt and breeches, pulled on his boots and stepped outside his tent. A gust of bitterly cold wind tugged at his clothes and snow was still falling from the grey sky. All around him was a blanket of white, only broken by the Soldier's tents. The horses were all huddling in a makeshift paddock, trying desperately to seek shelter from the harsh Northern winter.

Glancing over at Lord Raoul's tent, he noticed that the light was on and two figures were silhouetted against the canvas. One was unmistakably the large, muscular Knight Commander and Dom had a pretty good idea who the other one was. Reaching back into the tent Dom pulled out his thick winter cloak and then buttoned up the front of his tent. He hurried across to Lord Raoul's tent, stumbling through the ever thickening layer of snow. By the time he reached the tent his eyes were watering and screwed up against the cold. His cheeks stung painfully and his fingers felt like they were about to fall off.

'Sir?' he called out, hoping that he could be heard over the wind.

The tent flap opened and Raoul beckoned him inside. Despite the fact that the tent canvas was bowing in slightly from the pressure of the wind, inside the tent it was warmer, the thick, waterproof canvas blocking out the obscene weather.

Dom's guess was accurate; it was Lord Wyldon who sat on a small portable chair in the centre of the tent. Judging by both of the elder men's tired expressions, Dom wasn't the only one who hadn't got much sleep that night.

Raoul returned to his seat and pulled out another small stool for Dom to sit on.

'It's hopeless,' said Raoul, 'We'd never find her in this.'

Dom knew exactly who they were talking about.

'But Sir, she won't survive in these temperatures, not if this keeps up much longer,' he said despairingly.

Lord Wyldon rubbed his slightly blood-shot eyes with one hand.

'But what _can _we do?'

'We'll just have to hope that she had the sense to find shelter somewhere. I was going to have all squads out looking for her, but frankly in this weather it would be downright idiocy to send anyone out.'

'How long do you think this weather will last?' asked Dom, eyeing the billowing tent that surrounded them.

'A couple of days at most,' said Wyldon agitatedly.

And though none of them said it, they all knew that if Kel was caught in the blizzard, there would be no way she would survive.

* * *

As the night progressed the winds steadily increased, until they tore through the forest, whipping tree branches back and forth above Kel's head. The horse which Kel had chosen shied and bucked, it's eyes rolling in terror as yet another snow-laden branch crashed down onto the path in front of them. 

Kel clung to the horse in utter misery. She was colder than she had ever been before in her entire life. Every muscle ached and every move she made caused the wound across her chest to flare in agony. Snowflakes carried along by the wind had begun to settle in her hair. Every bare piece of skin burned and stung painfully as the night grew ever colder.

Finally the horse broke into a terrified gallop, Kel almost on the verge of unconsciousness, clinging on with frozen fingers. Eventually in a final squeal of terror the poor horse reared up and Kel fell onto the icy ground, rolling over several times before coming to a stop.

Blood began to leak from her wound as the sudden jerking motion had torn it open, but Kel just lay there, the last of her energy gone as a welcoming wave of blackness swept over her.

* * *

The dire weather conditions kept the King's Own holed up in their tents for two whole days. They passed the time playing cards or braving the elements to struggle to the nearby tavern. For Dom the days seemed to drag past, his every waking moment was spent wondering whether or not Kel was still alive. Lord Raoul and Lord Wyldon didn't fare much better. The feeling of helplessness overcame all three men. They were distracted and spent many hours lying in their tents trying to think of a way to improve the situation. 

When the weather finally abated several feet of snow lay on the ground. Children suddenly appeared from their houses and began to play, gleefully throwing balls of snow at each other or building snowmen.

Dom looked around at the happy faces pink with cold and yet again thought miserably of Kel, to whom life had been so cruel. He picked his way through the camp, taking care not to drip in the deep snow and entered Lord Raoul's tent.

'What do we do now Sir?'

Lord Raoul looked up, his eyes full of anguish.

'I don't think there is anything we can do Dom. It was discovered this morning that one of our horses went missing. I know for a fact that those horses have been guarded day and night ever since it began to snow, meaning that the horse was stolen before then, whilst we were all out hunting for Kel.'

Dom swallowed, it was as they had feared. Instead of seeking cover in the city it seemed that Kel had headed out into the forest. Raoul sighed heavily.

'This morning the stolen horse was found in the forest, dead. It was saddled and the possessions the in saddle bag were hers.'

Dom's heart plummeted.

'And Kel?'

Raoul sighed again, 'There was no sign of her. Dom I think we're going to have to assume the worst. If a horse couldn't survive for two days out there, then I doubt an eleven-year-old girl could.'

Dom felt sick, if he'd only managed to catch up with her before she had run into the forest…

'You musn't blame yourself,' Raoul said gently. 'Mithros knows I blame myself, but there is nothing we can do. We have to rejoin Flyndan and head south; we've been away from Corus for too long.'

* * *

When Kel awoke the first thing that she experienced was pain. Every inch of her body felt bruised, stiff and sore. She was intolerably cold and soaked to her skin. She tried to move and bit back a cry of pain. Steeling herself she sat up and glanced around. A thick layer of snow had carpeted the forest floor and had removed all evidence of where she had come from or the path which she had been following. 

She flexed her frozen fingers, gradually working heat into the sore flesh. She looked down at her blood-stained shirt; although her chest wound throbbed it seemed to have stopped bleeding. She began to stumble forward through the woods.

Kel had no idea of how long she had been unconscious for, or how she had come to be in the sheltered hollow under the tree. The last thing that she remembered was giving in to the blackness, welcoming death.

The sky had cleared and was now brilliant blue in colour and overall it was a beautiful day, but Kel barely seemed to notice her surroundings. She stumbled on, ignoring the pain and her overwhelming desire to give up, pushing herself onwards.

The beautiful woman of the forest watched her go with her bright green eyes full of unshed tears.

'Good luck my daughter,' she whispered before blending back into the forest.

Kel battled on for what seemed like hours and the exercise meant that some warmth returned to her limbs. She settled into a rhythm and the pain helped to distract her mind from what had happened. Suddenly, around mid-morning her foot got caught in a hidden tree root and she tripped, sprawling awkwardly. Kel lay there in the snow, her ankle twisted horribly and the tears began to fall. They splashed onto the snow-covered ground and her body shook with sobs.

After a while her tears gave way to anger and she shouted obscenities to the silent forest. When her rage had burned up she was left lying there, cold and unprotected, crying in despair. By now she had eased herself upright and propped herself against a tree. She had no idea where she was or what she should do. Her stomach growled with hunger and her mouth was dry with thirst. Kel ate some snow to satisfy her thirst although it made her stomach ache even more. Hours later still, as the light dimmed, she caught sight of a movement in the trees ahead.

'Help me,' she called out desperately. At that moment she didn't care who it was who was walking through the trees towards her. It could be a bandit or a murderer and she wouldn't mind, if she was going to die then let it be a quick death, rather than dying out here, alone in the cold.

The man turned out to be neither a bandit nor a murderer, but the son of a miller from a nearby village. He hoisted Kel onto his strong, muscled shoulders and set off again. Gradually the trees thinned out and gave way to a small village, cosy and welcoming, smoke rising from the chimneys of the sturdy-looking buildings.

Somewhere in the back of Kel's pain-filled mind, she thought that she couldn't possibly have crossed through the Great Northern forest, but she was so relieved to have found help Kel thought no more of it.

The young man entered one of the buildings and called out,

'Mother, quickly help me.'

A short, stocky woman with brown heavy-lidded eyes and reddish-brown hair hurried down the stairs and into the main room. She gestured that the young man lay Kel down on the kitchen table. She gripped Kel's small, frozen hand and felt for a pulse.

'I found her in the forest,' explained the man, 'She was just lying there.'

'Alright I'll take care of her now. Can you put on a pan of water to warm and fetch me my bag?'

The man did as he was told. Kel meanwhile, drifted in and out of consciousness. It was warm in the room and she had an overwhelming desire to drift off to sleep.

'Come on lass, stay with me,' murmured the woman.

When the man had warmed a pan of water and fetched the required things, he left his mother to tend to Kel. The woman wetted a piece of cloth and dabbed at Kel's tear-stained, scratched face. She cut away what remained of Kel's shirt and gasped in horror at the large gash that ran across Kel's chest, just below her collarbones.

When the wound was clean, she gave Kel a flask of herbs, which finally rendered Kel unconscious so that the lady could stitch and bandage the cut without Kel crying out with pain. When that was done, she sponged the rest of Kel clean and splinted up her swollen ankle. Finally she dressed Kel in a nightshirt and wrapped her in a warm blanket.

As Kel came around she could hear voices and snippets of a conversation.

'…Geran found her in the forest…'

'…No idea who she is or where she came from…'

'…Bruised, verging on hypothermic, great gash across her chest, twisted ankle, it's a miracle she's alive. How she survived through that blizzard I'll never know…'

Kel feebly opened her eyes. Warmth had seeped slowly back into her limbs and she felt far better than she had done before. Kel was lying in an armchair in front of a roaring fire. The house was small but homely, the stone floors covered in colourful rugs and the walls equally decorated by weavings or small paintings. She twisted round gently and saw that the man who had rescued her was sitting at the table along with the woman who had cleaned her up, two younger girls and a man who was unmistakably his father.

The woman with reddish-brown hair stood up and hurried over to Kel.

'You gave us quite a shock lass when Geran bought you in, I've never seen anything of the sort, a young girl like you out in the woods like that…'

Kel tried to get up but the woman held her down. 'Don't be over-doing it now; we've got some soup and bread here for you…' One of the younger girls bought over a bowl of soup and a slice of bread.

'You mustn't eat too much to begin with,' said the woman, carefully balancing the bowl in Kel's lap and helping her to tear of some bread to dunk in it, 'It looks like you haven't eaten for a while.'

Once Kel had finished the meal, the rest of the family gathered around, sitting on assorted chairs or stools.

The woman, who seemed to be the mother of the family, introduced herself.

'My name's Fanche Weir, this is my husband Gothar, he's a miller. That's our son Geran and our two daughters Layla and Fern.'

Geran looked to be in his late teens, tall as he was broad with hair as dark as his father's. Gothar was an older version of his son; they shared the same pointed nose and beetle black eyes. Layla was the elder of the two girls and was stunningly beautiful, her reddish brown hair came down to her waist and her dark eyes had a mysterious quality about them. Fern was a plainer girl and looked to be just older than Kel and her hair was a much lighter brown despite the fact that she shared the family's dark eyes.

Kel hesitated for a moment, looking round at the concerned faces, 'Kel,' she managed to croak out.'

'Alright Kel, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. In fact I insist that you stay here for at least a week, just so I can make sure that you're alright…Do you live near here? Is there any family we can contact?' Fanche asked gently.

Kel shook her head, allowing two tears to slide down her cheeks. Fanche didn't pursue the question. Instead Kel was helped to a pallet in the corner of Fern's room. She lay in the dark for a while, just letting the tears stream silently down her face. She was still in shock over the events that happened in the temple three days previously. Kel was also scared for what lay ahead. She was completely alone in the world. She had no money and the only possessions which hadn't been lost when the horse bolted was her sword and dagger, which Geran had tactfully returned to her just before she went to bed.

After an hour of agonised memories and thoughts Kel finally drifted into slumber, her body needing the time to repair itself.

* * *

Within a few days Kel's sprained ankle was feeling a lot better and with the aid of a stick, Kel could hobble around quite proficiently. The gash across her chest was also healing, although it still twinged and ached. Most of the bruises and smaller cuts that she had obtained during her flight had also healed. If only the mind could heal as quickly. 

Kel was not the same girl that had entered the temple on that fateful day. Despite months of oppression at the Convent, Kel had still been there to defend her friend, fighting until the end. But since the incident, Kel had rarely talked. Of course she hadn't been particularly loquacious at the Convent either, but instead had tended to spend hours thinking things over in her own mind, planning any way to achieve her dream. Now she spent her hours idly wandering, her mind blank, almost denying what had occurred. She cried regularly as an outlet for her misery, an all the built up emotion from her time at the Convent poured out in a steady stream until she could cry no more.

Fanche was constantly at Kel's side, trying to help heal the emotional scars and memories that plagued Kel. Although Fanche didn't know anything about Kel, it was clear that the traumatized girl needed constant love and support, all of which Fanche gave to her fullest ability.

Whenever Kel cried, she allowed her a while to get things off of her chest, but then she was always there with a cloth to dry Kel's tears and administer a motherly hug. She tried to keep Kel's mind off obviously painful thoughts and enlisted her aid in cooking. Fanche noticed that during the time when Kel was asked to shell peas or salt meat, Kel seemed a little more focused on her surroundings and less prone to absent minded wanderings and instantaneous floods of tears.

The family seemed to accept that Kel was going to be around for a while and Geran and Gothar made her a proper bed to sleep on. Fanche adjusted some of Fern's old clothes for Kel, although she soon realised that Kel objected to wearing anything but breeches. Layla and Fern were highly curious of Kel's background but their half spoken questions were quickly overridden by a hurried remark or a suggestion by Fanche. Although Kel didn't say anything, the grateful look in Kel's eyes spoke volumes to Fanche.

Fanche was determined to help the scrawny, lost girl who had fallen into her care and was determined that one day Kel would smile again.

* * *

(-**a/n- **I'm sorry this took a bit longer to update than previously expected, but I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. And so Kel has met Fanche :D Bet you weren't expecting that! Hehehe…Please, please, please review, I really love to know what you think :D) 

**Confusedknight xxx**


	12. Stand in the rain

**(-a/n- **Here is the weekly update…Again I must apologize, but it seems physically impossible for me to write a decent chapter in under a week I just manage to accumulate a great list of other stuff to do and because all of my chapters are now a whole lot longer than they used to be, they take me a whole lot longer to write…Anyway Happy Valentine's Day for tomorrow, eat lots of choccy and enjoy yourself :D

As always thanks for the splendid reviews they make me so happy :D )

**queenoftheostlers**no because if I named the horse Timber then he would be dead…see there is a method in my refusal…

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**yeah she was a grouch in the books but I figured that was because she had lost all her family, so when she still had her family she'd be nice…

**SarahE7191**no, I'm going to keep going with the timeline, up until we reach the scene in chapter 1 :D

**theknightofkonaha**Thanks :D

**brighid's flame**hehe thanks!

**brezzybrez**yup :D

**Grace of Masbolle **maybe… you'll have to wait and see :p

**Fjk **thanks :D

**SaphirePhoenix**thanks, ok I'm updating !

**darkjewelledassassin**thanks!

**Yabberli**hehe thanks :D

**inuyashaswife12**um…a few days maybe a week..

**SavingSaturn**thanks, happy reading!

**K.D. Rai**noooo chocolate is good for you!

**Poopie**I know I can't wait for the new Harry Potter book, although it will be a shame when it's all over…

**Elentariel**thanks ;D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle** I didn't want to kill Kel! So I had the Goddess tweak things a little :P Kel is in Goatstrack village which is just inside the Tortallan border.

**after.a.hard.day**hehe, I know but not for a while…

**Hasamaki**yup :P

**oirishgoddess**I reckon she was always a nice person but the death of her family and being made a refugee probably hardened her into the grump that we saw in Lady Knight.

**bookworm-4-ever2012**Thanks :D

**Erynfaer**hehehe there shall be twists galore, just to keep you all on your toes!

**Erytha**yeah but in the books Fanche had lost everything and was made a refugee so I think that was what made her grumpy.

**Pie of Doomeh **hehehe!

**Me **thanks!

**Justanotheraddiction **I agree with you he isn't a sit and wait sort of person but when there's a blizzard there really isn't much you can do…

**nativewildmage**hehe!

**On top of cloud 9**aww…homework sucks…anyway thanks for reviewing :D

**Love's a four-letter word**thanks :D

**katiebug123**oh dear, thunder clouds aren't good…yeah basically the Goddess intervened a little which is why Kel survived and found herself a long way from the Convent, but that will be explained later on in the story…thanks for reviewing :D (as always)

**Aly the Spy**thanks :D

**Confusedknight xxx **

**P.s. **Here's another song which I have recently become addicted to because it helps my creative musings along! (Thanks to Sammy for suggesting it.)

* * *

**Stand in the Rain by Superchick**

_She never slows down  
She doesn't know why  
But she knows that when she's all alone  
It feels like it's all coming down _

She won't turn around  
The shadows are long  
And she fears if she cries that first tear  
The tears will not stop raining down

So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day what's lost can be found  
You stand in the rain

She won't make a sound  
Alone in this fight with herself  
And the fear's whispering  
If she stands, she'll fall down

She wants to be found  
The only way out is through everything  
She's running from  
Wants to give up and lie down

_So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day what's lost can be found  
You stand in the rain _

_

* * *

__**Early March, Goatstrack Village, 454 H.E. **_

It was just before dawn, yet already Kel was up and dressed. She wore her plain shirt and breeches with leather shoes to protect her small feet. The air was mild; the winter had gone, taking with it the biting wind and heavy snows. But it was pouring with rain and within minutes Kel was soaked to the skin. She vaguely wondered why she was acting upon this crazy whim. Normally she wouldn't awake until Fanche opened the curtains, but this morning she had awoken with a sudden, strange desire to get out of the house.

She slipped and slid her way up a hill that lay ten minutes north-west of the village, still unsure why she felt such a strong need to climb the hill, least of all in weather like this.

By the time she neared the top of the hill, her clothes and shoes were covered in mud, her hair was plastered to her head and her wet shirt clung to her in the way that wet clothes will. She had never actually been up the top of this particular hill before, and as the ground levelled out she gasped aloud. She could see for miles around. Kel stood for a minute taking in the glorious view. The Sun was just rising in the distance, unhidden by rain clouds. To the East stretched the Great Northern forest as far as the eye could see and to the West lay more ragged ground, broken up by hills, farmland and patches of dense woodland. Small settlements could be seen, clinging to life in the harsh Northern climate. Kel could see down into Goatstrack, see Gothar's mill, the common land and the farms that surrounded the small village.

Looking out on the world it made Kel feel very small and insignificant. Kel had never properly thought about just how big the world was and this was just a small part of Tortall, what about all the other countries, Islands and Empires out there? Yet still there were people who managed to fight and made a difference to huge numbers of people, Lady Alanna for example. It wasn't impossible, maybe it just seemed that way sometimes.

For several minutes time seemed to still. Kel stood there, the rain still belting down, but oddly she didn't mind anymore. The beauty of the sunrise and the landscape before her filtered in through the numbness that she'd been feeling for over a month.

For the first time since she had run away she deliberately thought of her family, Neal and Lucie, realising in that moment that the world still went on, outside her new sheltered life in Goatstrack and she promised herself that one day, when she was ready, she would see them all again.

Kel smiled. It may have seemed like such a small gesture, but Kel felt in her heart that she was now ready to accept what had happened, put the past behind her and carry on with her life.

When the sun was fully up, she turned back to the village, but not with the heavy, burdened steps with which she had come, but at a light jog. She tripped over a rock and instead of cursing, she just picked herself up and carried on running. This time she wasn't running away from anything, but running towards something, aiming for something again. Kel had fallen, but now she had picked herself up she was ready to try again.

* * *

The King's Own had arrived back in Corus after a long, slow journey back from the North of Tortall. They had stopped at several villages and towns along the way, helping with bandit problems or sorting out flood defences and by the time they had reached Corus all the men were thoroughly looking forward to having a hot bath and sleeping in proper beds once more. Unfortunately it fell to Lord Raoul to break the news to Lady Ilane and Baron Piers that their daughter had gone missing and was presumed dead.

Raoul and Wyldon had agreed that it would be better for them to deliver the sad news in person and had requested that the Convent not send a letter ahead. After their agreement that they wouldn't tell anyone the truth about what had happened to Kel, Raoul told Kel's parents that Kel and Lucie had been ambushed by a Tauros, fortunately Kel managed to hold it off for long enough for Raoul to get there, but Kel had been wounded and severely shaken by the accident which caused her to run away. After the blizzard the horse which she had taken was found along with all of Kel's belongings, dead.

Lady Ilane of Mindelan, having lived for several years with the Yamanis, accepted the news calmly, but as soon as the two men left, she flung herself upon her husband and wept. Although as a mother she shouldn't show favouritism towards her children, Lady Ilane had been very close to her youngest daughter. Kel had always been the little one of the family and had stayed with Ilane throughout their years in the Yamani Islands. So the news of her death upset Ilane and Piers terribly.

Princess Chisakami had recently been killed in an earthquake in the Islands and so it was down to Lady Ilane and Baron Piers to forge a new marriage contract between Prince Roald and a Yamani Princess. This kept them busy, helping them to cope with their grief. Ilane and Piers didn't blame Lord Wyldon for Kel's death, accepting calmly that it was just a terrible tragedy. This helped to ease Wyldon's feelings of intense guilt about the whole situation, something which he was immensely grateful for.

Neal's perception of the matter was a different kettle of fish entirely. Dom broke the bad news to his cousin gently, before the news became Palace gossip. Despite the fact that Neal didn't wish to embarrass himself in front of his cousin, he couldn't help hot tears filling his eyes when he learnt of Kel's death. Dom comforted Neal awkwardly, until the initial shock had worn off. Neal's dumb horror was quickly replaced by anger towards Lord Wyldon, even though Dom assured Neal that Lord Wyldon was most upset by the whole incident, that it was his daughter whom Kel had saved.

Eventually Dom left Neal alone with his grief, to give him time to regain his composure before dinner and left to find a warm bed and a respite from the hundreds of 'what ifs' that plagued his brain. What if he'd caught her before she'd gone into the forest? Or had the sense to leave someone guarding the horses? He shook his head, it was hopeless, what had happened had happened and he'd just have to live with it for the rest of his life.

* * *

Kel entered Fanche's kitchen, sopping wet, covered in mud and smiling. When the family saw Kel they all stared openly, not because she was about as dirty and bedraggled as it was possible to be, but she was smiling. They had never seen the quiet, serious girl smile before and it was a welcome change. Her features were lit up, though it would be a while before her eyes lost that 'haunted' look.

No one knew quite what to do. Eventually it was Fanche who, practical as ever bought Kel a towel and told her to strip off her soaking clothes. That morning Kel spoke more than she had done for weeks. Nothing to reveal any secrets about her past, just mundane things like complimenting the cooked breakfast, asking what they were going to do today. She spoke quietly in a level voice, one which indicated that she was not from any of the villages near Goatstrack, as the occupants of these villages all spoke with a gentle Northern accent.

A few days previously Geran had dropped a heavy mallet on his foot, severely bruising it and was therefore under Fanche's strict orders to rest it for a few days. Once breakfast was over Kel volunteered to help in the Mill. Her brown eyes saw Gothar's unconvinced look and Fanche's hurried expression telling him that he should accept Kel's offer. Kel wasn't offended by his obvious belief that a mere girl could do a man's job, it wasn't as though no one had ever thought that of her before.

The mill was powered by wind and therefore relied heavily on the weather. There wasn't a breeze to speak of today, so the sails which turned the millstones were still. Kel learnt however that there is a lot more to be done in a mill than grind grain into flour. The Weir's mill was the only one in the district and Gothar was well known and respected among the farming community, all of whom paid Gothar to grind their grain.

Naturally the grain was harvested in the autumn, so the mill was busiest in late autumn, early winter, to make sure that all the families had enough flour to see them through the winter months. The mill usually started up again at the beginning of March to grind all the leftover grain which had been bagged and stored carefully over the winter.

Gothar had been busy yesterday and had taken advantage of the strong winds to grind as much grain as possible. Now all the sacks of flour were temporarily piled in the bottom of the mill. The main job for the day was to move all the sacks of flour into the outbuilding ready for them to be collected.

The machinery also needed a good check over, so Gothar, still unconvinced by Kel's readiness to help, set her to shifting bags of flour, with the thought that after a morning's hard work, she'd change her mind about helping in the mill. He set to cleaning out the shafts, troughs and sieves that made up a large part of the mill.

Kel lifted a bag of flour, her arms protesting at the surprising weight. She struggled out to the outbuilding and deposited the bag next to the others. As she returned to the mill she could see Geran's smug face watching her from the house. Kel felt a sudden desire to prove herself and returned for another sack of flour.

By midmorning she was dirty, sweat-covered and her arms ached. After nearly nine months of doing no particular exercise, her once strong muscles were weak and protested against the hard labour that Kel was putting them though. Yet it was all worth it when Kel finally called up to Gothar that she had finished shifting the flour and saw his disbelieving expression change to surprise as he saw that her words were true.

* * *

Kel continued to work in the mill, long after Geran's foot had healed. She liked to think of is as a way to repay Fanche and her family for all of their kindness and generosity towards her. The hours of physical labour had also begun to put some muscle back onto Kel's skinny arms.

The first of April dawned no differently to any other day but when Kel awoke she immediately realised that she had overslept. Fern was still fast asleep, so cursing fluently in Yamani under her breath, Kel dressed silently. She was about to pull on her cloak and hurry down to the mill, when a man burst into their room.

He was tall, dark-skinned and filthy. His long beard and hair were matted and his clothes were torn and stained. In one hand he brandished a small axe. Fern awoke at the noise and shrieked in terror, Kel stood motionless. The man quickly crossed to Fern, yanked her out of bed, covering her mouth with his dirty hand.

'Get downstairs, now.' He ordered, 'Don't make a noise.'

When they entered the living room, Layla and Fanche were already there, flanked by two more men, both of whom were armed, one with a dagger, the other a wooden club. They conferred briefly in undertones.

The man with the dagger volunteered to stay behind and the other two men left a second later. As soon as they left Fern ran sobbing into Fanche's arms and Layla stood next to them, her knuckles white as she gripped her mother's arm. Kel joined them.

'What's going on?' she whispered.

'It looks like a bandit attack. Don't worry Kel, they'll take what they want, but I don't think that they will harm us.' Fanche replied, trying to reassure herself as much as the three girls. 'In a minute some others in the village will realise what's going on and then they'll come and help. Geran and Gothar are nearby in the Mill, they'll be here as soon as they realise what's going on.'

Kel's mind whirred, thinking over the situation. She had no idea how many bandits there were. She had two options, either lie low and wait to see what happened, running the risk that another bandits might return, or she could attempt to disarm this one while he was on his own.

Kel's mind was made up for her when the bandit turned back to the room, looking hungrily at Layla. Kel's mind seemed to freeze and horrible memories surrounded her. She was at the Temple again, the Tauros was there staring menacingly and hungrily at a sobbing Lucie.

Kel shook her head slightly; clearing away the images and saw the bandit tear Layla away from her sister and mother, threatening all three of them with his dagger.

Kel didn't even know Layla that well, but she knew in her heart that it didn't matter whether the girl in question was Layla, Lucie or any other girl in the whole world, Kel would not be able to sit back and watch it happen.

She stepped forward, into space and the adrenalin began to rush through her system. Blood pounded in her veins, her muscles tensed. She had slain a Tauros, this was just a man and she could defeat him.

Fanche saw Kel step forward, her level gaze determined. There was an unmistakable hatred in her eyes as she watched the bandit push Layla to the floor. Fanche wanted to do or say something that would protect either of the girls, but Kel's mind seemed to be made up.

Kel let out a stream of insults that would've made even the most dishonourable man colour. The bandit whirled around and Kel's leather clad foot snapped out and knocked the dagger from his hand. The bandit cursed, but didn't take his eyes off Kel to retrieve his dagger.

_That's better _thought Kel, surprisingly calm, a nice even fight for once. Although in reality they were hardly matched. The man was a good five inches taller than her and almost twice as broad.

Kel darted in and swung a punch at the man, it connected with his stomach and he grunted in pain. Kel ducked his hasty return punch and continued her attack. At one point during the fight that followed he grabbed Kel's right wrist and would've almost certainly snapped it, had not Kel broken his nose first with her free hand. He bellowed in agony, releasing her as he clutched at his nose, from which blood was now streaming.

Although it was probably dishonourable to do so, Kel didn't think that there was anything honourable about this bandit, so she kicked him violently in the groin, causing him to double over and then finished the job by rendering him unconscious with a fierce blow to the back of his unprotected head. He crumpled to the ground, blood still oozing from his nose.

Kel hadn't escaped unscathed, she would sport a good collection of bruises the next day and would almost certainly have a black eye for her troubles but she concluded that it was worth it. Allowing herself a smile at her fallen opponent she turned, to find Fanche, Layla and Fern were all staring at her, their expressions a mixture of awe, fright and shock.

Deciding that she wasn't going to wait around for questions about where she learnt to fight or orders to stay where she was, Kel slipped outside. In that moment she was oddly reminded of an incident which had happened just before she'd entered page training. Kel had tried to fight of a spidren single-handedly, armed with nothing more than a few rocks and she remembered a conversation which she had with her mother shortly afterwards.

'_I want the training, and the right weapons. Anders was right. It was stupid to go after a spidren with stones._'

'_And if they send you home at the end of a year?' _

'_I'll still know more that I do now.'_

At that moment Kel realised that it was true. Before she undertook her year of page training she couldn't have beaten that bandit in hand-to-hand combat. She might've been able to fend him off with the Yamani self-defence she had been taught, but she doubted whether she'd have been able to knock him out. No matter what she did with the rest of her life, her year's training at the Palace had taught her valuable lessons, ones which she would not easily forget.

_Time to put some of those lessons to a test, _she thought grimly and launched herself into the pandemonium that was the village centre. The fighting was mainly fist-fights, men punching each other left, right and centre, but there were a few bandits who were armed. Those were the bandits who were doing the most harm, leaving their victims dead and not unconscious. Kel grabbed a garden hoe that rested against a fence nearby. Admittedly it was not the best weapon in the world, but the metal head appeared to be sharp and was better than nothing.

Kel began to fight a man who was wielding an axe. It was hard work; the hoe dipped at the end and was lighter than her glaive, so Kel had to adjust her grip and stance slightly to match. She also didn't have anything to act as a shield and had to dodge most of the blows that descended upon her. A well aimed thrust caused the metal head of her weapon to bite into the muscle of the arm that wielded the axe. The man howled and dropped the axe.

Lesson one of weapons training, thought Kel, _never, ever drop your weapon. _Pressing her advantage she punched the man square in the face and left him in the same state as the bandit in the house. The fights were gradually stopping, bandits fleeing away and Kel decided to not draw anymore attention to herself and returned to the house, hoping that not many of the villagers had seen her fighting.

* * *

As Kel had predicted she was inundated with questions about how she had learnt to fight. Questions which she was not going to answer. She simply shrugged or looked at her feet, making it plain that she was not in the least bit inclined to tell them anything about her past.

At Midday she snuck out of the house and returned to the summit of the large hill, where she had watched the sun rise all those weeks ago. From out of the folds of her cloak she brought her sword.

It still lay sheathed, concealed in the plain leather scabbard. With trembling fingers Kel unhooked the straps that held it in place and drew the sword. The sunlight glinted off of the silver blade, made from tempered steel.

The mornings experience had clarified two things for Kel. Firstly no matter where she went or what she did, she had been trained to fight, she enjoyed it. At the Convent, suppressed and forced to live as a true 'Lady' she had been miserable, she would never be content with a lifestyle such as that. Even living out here in a simple village there were still dangers. But the thing that surprised her most about the fight was the adrenaline rush, the elation that filled her as she fought, pushing her body to it's full extent, dodging, weaving and attacking. And that brought about her second realisation; if she was going to fight she would need to regain her fitness.

The sword fitted into her hand as well as it had always done and Kel gingerly lifted it into the air. It bought back all sorts of painful memories but Kel pushed them aside. It was time to concentrate on the future. She swung the sword down in a basic sweep and returned it to the 'guard' position.

She repeated that move until her arm worked independently of the brain. She stepped, jumped, twisted, and straightened, all whilst performing that same, simple move. It was the basic building block of all weapons training. Start simple, practise, practise and more practise, then slowly, very slowly increase the difficultly of the move you were practising, combining several moves into pattern dances. The more practise you put in, the better you were and the better you were, the longer you lasted in battle.

Kel's arm ached even just from that hour or so of exercise and so Kel completed her training with some of the arm-strengthening exercises that Eda Bell had taught her, such a long time ago. Sweat-soaked and thirsty, Kel concealed her sword and exercised an iron-grip on her will as she forced her protesting body to run back to the house.

That night Kel slept soundly. Her dreams were not the usual nightmares of Tauros's, but instead were of a memory, from a long time ago.

Her mother was fighting Scanran Pirates in the Yamani temple, protecting the sacred swords, but the dream was different from the actual events. More and more pirates streamed in and Ilane began to falter. Kel gasped, horrified, this wasn't how the events had occurred; her mother had protected the sacred swords and killed all of the pirates. Without thinking, her dream self snatched up one of the golden swords, the long sword of duty, the Killing sword, and began to attack the pirates, standing alongside her mother.

Twice the number of raiders attacked them that had done in real life, but with Ilane and Kel standing and fighting, all had fallen. Eventually their rescuers arrived as they had done in real life and had bowed low, their heads touching the bloody floor.

And Kel heard an echo of her ten-year-old self say, '_I want to be like that, I want to protect people. And I will. I will. I'll be a hero one day, just like Mama. Just like the Lioness. Nobody will kill two kittens in front of me then.'_

And a voice replied, a voice that was both terrible and gentle at the same time,

'And so you have protected people and will continue to do so for many years to come. You saved two girls from a terrible fate, selflessly sacrificing and endangering yourself. Know also that not all heroism is sung about and handed down through generations in bed-time stories; often the more important deeds go unnoticed by the world. But I am watching and to those whom you saved it made all the difference in the world. Sleep in peace my daughter, your time will come sooner than you realise.'

Kel sunk into a state of dreamless sleep.

'I remember a certain violet-eyed daughter of mine who also wished to perform great deeds. She managed to find her way in life with a little guidance here and there along the way, and so will you my daughter, so will you.'

* * *

**(-a/n- **So…What did you think? Is the plot progressing at a steady speed or is it too rushed/too slow?

Yep, that was the Goddess again at the end. My idea was that she is not going to appear directly to Kel, because I reckon Kel would freak out a bit, hehehe but she will poke and prod Kel a bit on the way…(ie…in the snowstorm she survived because a certain deity was protecting her. And all the other slightly odd things like Kel's compulsion to climb the hill…it's all the Goddess nudging her back on track :D )

Please review,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	13. A step in the right direction

**(-a/n- **Okay, mega apologies on the late, late, late update, but the amount of homework that I've had this week has been incredible because **certain** French teachers set masses of work so instead of writing my 5000 word fanfic chapter I ended up writing 5000 words of French!! Which wasn't good and it took me hours and hours and hours…grr… mais c'est la vie après tout! I'm wishing you all a **HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY!! **(1st March)…hehehe World Book day is so fun we get to dress up so Queenoftheostlers and I are going as hobbits! Anyway…

As always thanks for the wonderful, wonderful people out there who review :D

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**Thanks, yeah I love the song so much :D

**the. dead. addict.**Hehe thanks ;D

**Yabberli**Wow! Thanks so much :P

**theknightofkonaha**thanks !

**Me **thanks ;P

**inuyashaswife12 **woo! Thanks, um…not quite that long, only about a month and a bit by my reckoning.

**Pie of Doomeh**hehe, love the simile :D I love puppies! hehehe

**bookworm-4-ever2012 **Thanks ;D

**youdontwant2no**Thanks I love to write, it's just finding the time :D

**queenoftheostlers**Whoa! Longish review !! Pretend to be normal …!?! That would be very difficult…lol! Omigosh! Thursday is going to be awesome (excluding my 10 hours of rehearsals…) HOBBIT FEET! –sniffs- Percy is well and truly deceased, his DOM still inhabits the bathroom though…muah haha we shall have a Percival II this year.

**Golden23**Some chapters will skip months and others will be day-to-day. Thanks for reviewing :P

**oirishgoddess**Thanks ;D

**Grace of Masbolle **There will be more from them later, but for the moment I'm going to concentrate on Kel or I'll never get anywhere with the plot.

**Love's a four-letter word**thanks!

**alynawatlovers**Yep, you're right :D

**SarahE7191**The Chamber of Ordeal hasn't met Kel for so the moment just the Goddess, although even that guidance will be limited now that Kel is 'on the road to recovery'.

**SaphirePhoenix**It's going to be a long time before we get to the events in chapter one, but hopefully not too long. I will skim over some bits, but others will be detailed for the sake of the plot.

**Dom-Basher CHAMPION**Thanks ;D

**Erynfaer**yeah, it was a bit sudden but I didn't want to drag Kel's angst out for too long! Hehe and as you say there is a Goddess involved…

**PureElement**Thanks, yeah those were my original feelings but the Goddess isn't going to be helping all that much, just a few nudges to get Kel back on her feet again. I know that in the books Kel didn't have any help, but in my version of events she has and will be put into tougher situations …anyways thanks for reviewing…

**On top of cloud 9**I did eat rather a lot of chocolate at my friends house and we managed to spill a chocolate fountain all over a cream carpet…oops!

**Hasamaki**thanks ;D

**rosie **haha thanks!

**Lady Highschoolnerd**ok…

**nativewildmage**yeah, I listened to it once or twice. I hadn't even heard of Superchick until a few weeks ago but I really like some of their songs…

**katiebug123**yay! The seal of approval! ;P teeheehee. I'm glad you like the way this is headed, I'll try not to disappoint!

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**Yep, don't we all love it when Kel/Alanna proves they can beat the men :D

**justanotheraddiction **Thanks! (Don't worry, Kel and Dom aren't done just yet…)

**Elentariel **Thanks :D

**Erytha**thanks :P

**Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm **Whoa! That's a lot of bones (maybe a whole ribcage?!? Lol) I can't really reply to most of your 'bones' without giving away huge chunks of the plot but still nothing has been ruled out, you may be surprised ;D

**brezzybrez**hmm.. animals, hadn't really considered that…I don't think so, not at the moment anyway…

**Right or Ryn**Thanks for reviewing!

**Hyperbookworm **Well, Kel was asleep-ish, in a dream and the Goddess was talking to her that way, although obviously Kel didn't realise it was her. (Sorry for any confusion.)

**Nyleve**Thanks ;D

**AJHHr12**Thanks!

**manicpony24**hehe thanks!

**JaBoyYa**Thanks :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

Kel laid down her sword on the scuffed turf and straightened up with a groan. One hand went to her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed there. It was a brilliantly sunny day in mid-April and she was back up in her favourite place on top of the hill. Thinking that it would be very conspicuous if she practised her swordplay right on the summit of the hill, Kel had walked a small way down the other side, to an area where the grass had flattened out and where several trees growing further down the slope concealed her from prying eyes.

Unfortunately the trees did not provide much protection against the elements. Ever since the day when she had taken up her sword once more, she had not missed a single afternoon's practise. Whether it was raining, windy or sunny she was always out there, doggedly exercising.

Her days had taken on a pattern; rise early, help in the mill, eat lunch, practise swordplay, have dinner with Fanche and her family, then go for a run before turning in for the night. Although she had only been following this strict regime for just over four weeks it had already changed the way she looked and felt. At first it had been difficult, her body didn't respond to the exercise as it once had and she tired easily, gasping for breath. The Bandit attack had been a sharp wake-up call as to how unfit she had become. It would take a while to regain her old physique, but Kel's single-minded determination had returned to her and she felt as though she could almost feel the difference.

Each day she forced herself to exercise for a bit longer, run a little bit further. She was still stick-thin after her spell at the Convent, and although Kel never went hungry, food was never plentiful in the North and any weight that she gained was from her slowly growing muscles and not fat.

Re-tying her hair with a leather thong, she picked up her sword once more and began yet another complex move, repeating it over and over until it was perfect, smooth, accurate and above all deadly fast.

Over the past through days Kel had experimented turning the specified sword moves that she knew into pattern dances. She had had varying success, realising that she found it far easier to make up such dances with a glaive. But despite much wishful thinking on Kel's behalf her glaive was still locked away in the Convent where it was likely to remain until either her family claimed it or it was thrown out.

What Kel really needed was a teacher, one who could point out where she was going wrong and teach her all the complicated moves which she would need to be able to perform perfectly to truly master the blade.

With a final flourish Kel sheathed the sword, her chest heaving and her arms aching from exertion. She gritted her teeth and began an exhausting array of strengthening exercises. She started by balancing on her hands and feet, almost as though she was going to perform a press-up and then jumping up and then back down again. Although the move was simple, after a dozen or so Kel's muscles were burning from the effort. She forced herself onward, sweat dripping from her grimy face onto the ground.

Kel banished all thought of stopping early for the day from her mind and changed into her arm strengthening exercises. An hour later, any muscles which hadn't been aching previously were now doing exactly that and Kel sipped thirstily from her leather water gourd.

Next Kel started on her hand-to-hand combat exercises, although this was difficult without a training partner and she had to settle with punching and kicking a hand-made dummy. Kel had borrowed a sack from the mill and packed it tight with earth, which she hung from a tree and attacked ferociously every afternoon.

It was quite late in the afternoon when Kel bundled her sword up in her cloak and headed back to the Weir's farm. Fanche watched her 'adopted' daughter making her way back through the front gate and up the small dirt track to the cottage. Fanche knew that there was something about Kel that made her different from her other daughters.

Kel was often quiet and withdrawn, although she would take part in conversations, replying to questions with careful, well thought out answers in her polite, gentle speech. Kel never seemed to say anything impulsively and gave nothing away about who she was or where she had come from.

Every day now Kel disappeared for the afternoon and returned in varying states of dirtiness. On rainy days Kel returned soaked to the skin and covered in mud. Today Kel appeared to be hot, sweaty and dust-covered as she made her way slowly up the garden.

When Kel had turned up three months previously with a sword strapped around her waist it had surprised Fanche and Gothar had reckoned that she had stolen it. It didn't take a genius to see that Kel took her sword with her whenever she disappeared for the afternoon. Fanche supposed that it didn't really matter what Kel did with the sword as long as she wasn't running around murdering people, but that didn't make her any less curious about Kel's daily disappearances.

* * *

Several days later on another glorious day, with the sun shining down, Fanche stood in the kitchen washing up the lunch plates and cutlery when she saw Kel slipping silently out of the farm again. Fanche watched Kel walk along to the end of the lane and slip into a field, which Fanche knew had a footpath running around its edge.

Hurriedly washing the last two plates, she stacked them on a board to drain and peeled off her apron. Her curiosity overrode her and she followed the path she had seen Kel take. The path led through several more fields, over a style and into the wild ground at the base of one of the hills. Glancing around furtively, Fanche started the strenuous climb to the summit of the hill.

She edged forward, into a small clump of trees, trying to spot her adopted daughter. As she peered out of the trees she couldn't see anyone, so she walked a little way through the cooling shade of the trees and this time when she peered out she could see the small figure of Kel who was stretching out her muscles.

Confident that she was well-hidden, Fanche watched in amazement as Kel took up the sword and began to practise with the air of one who knew exactly what they were doing. The blade started off slowly, twirling through the air, its shiny surface reflecting the sun's bright light and speeded up until it became a flashing blur.

Fanche watched fixated as Kel put her body through different types of exercise, slow and exaggerated, then fast and nimble, swinging her sword as she moved around. When Kel stopped for one of her quick rests, she pushed her hair off her sweaty forehead and looked directly at the trees where Fanche was hiding.

'You can come out now, I know you're there,' she stated calmly with no hint of anger or surprise.

Gulping slightly, Fanche stumbled out of the woods. Neither of them spoke, for what was there to say? Fanche could ask how Kel acquired her skills with a sword, or who Kel really was. Kel could ask why Fanche had followed her, but still neither of them said a word.

Eventually it was Fanche who broke the silence.

'Do you do this everyday?'

Kel nodded, 'You don't improve without practise.'

'Are you from Shang?' blurted out the older lady.

Kel shook her head, a smile twitching the corners of her mouth. 'I'm not nearly good enough to be from Shang.'

Fanche exhaled a breath suddenly understanding, 'That's how you fought of the bandit, you know how to fight hand-to-hand as well…' she trailed of and Kel nodded in confirmation. Kel was hoping against hope that Fanche didn't ask the inevitable question of how she knew how to fight, as she disliked lying to people who had been so kind and generous towards her.

Another silence reigned between them.

'Well I don't mind what you do in your spare time. You've been such a help to Gothar and if fighting is what you enjoy I say keep practising. Goddess only knows what would've happened if you hadn't fought off that bandit.'

Although they both knew exactly what would've happened Fanche couldn't bear to think of the unpleasantness of it all and to Kel it served as a painful reminder of the past.

'I could always show you a couple of moves which you could use. Nothing complicated mind, just a few basic self-defence moves which you could teach Fern and Layla.'

Fanche looked surprised, 'I couldn't, I'm no fighter.'

'You and I both know that unpleasant things happen to women who can't defend themselves and although it won't hold of a bandit for very long, it may provide enough time for help to come or you to get away.'

_Unpleasant things can also happen to women who can defend themselves, _pointed out one half of her brain sardonically.

_Well I certainly hope that Fanche, Layla or Fern never meet a Tauros, _the other side reasoned.

And reluctantly Fanche agreed to let Kel show her some simple self-defence moves. That too quickly settled into part of Kel's routine and after lunch everyday Kel tutored Fanche, Fern and Layla. Whereas before Layla wouldn't have dreamed of punching someone, the experience with the bandit had taught her otherwise; the weak were targets. Soon they had grasped the basics of how to throw a decent punch or kick to sensitive parts of the body; the nose, groin, stomach, jaw. Had learnt how to dig their nails into an attackers thumb or twist their own thumb painfully into someone's eye.

Kel stressed that they wouldn't be able to take on a man in a fight; they only knew a few moves, but a well placed punch to the nose, or kick to the groin would be enough to make the attacker release their hold.

* * *

Although Kel never said anything, Fanche could sense that she was restless. With every day that passed the weather became better and better. Soon Kel was coming in from her practise sessions, her arms, legs and face pink, burnt and sore.

There was nothing that could be done except to rub a cooling cream on the burnt skin and soon Kel's skin began to take on the brown, weathered appearance of all northerners. The sun also slowly bleached her ever-lengthening hair into a lighter shade of brown. Despite still being small and skinny for her age, Kel's arms and legs were well toned and her hands callused from hard labour in the mill.

Fanche knew that Kel didn't belong in the isolated village and began to mentally prepare herself for the day when Kel would announce that she was leaving.

One evening after her daily run Kel was back in her favourite place on the hill, this time watching the sunset, gazing out over the beautiful landscape. She was thinking of her family, of Neal and Lucie, wondering what they were doing at right that very minute. Neal would be nearing the end of his second year of page training.

Kel wondered whether he thought of her as much as she thought of him. Kel missed his steadfast presence, his wicked sense of humour and his flare for dramatics. Despite the fact that she longed to see him again Kel knew she had changed. The past year had been the hardest of Kel's life; would she ever be able to face him with the truth of what had happened?

Kel didn't feel like she was ready to face anyone or talk about what had happened and was content to be just 'Kel' for a while and not Keladry of Mindelan. She hoped that maybe things would get better in time, although she doubted whether she would ever be rid of the nightmares that haunted her sleep. Kel found ways of dealing with it though. If she exercised herself to the point of exhaustion during the day then she would often sleep through a night untroubled as her body was too deeply enveloped in sleep for her mind to recreate that fateful day.

Deciding it was time to get back to the farm she picked herself up with a sigh. When she was ready she would return, but until then 'Keladry of Mindelan' would disappear without a trace. As soon as she left Goatstrack she would take up a different name and travel, maybe finding someone who would be willing to continue her instruction in the art of fencing.

Kel set a date in her mind, by next Saturday she would be gone, she couldn't live upon Fanche's generosity anymore. Kel would make her own way in life; if you didn't depend on anyone then they couldn't let you down.

She sighed, it wasn't taking on the world just yet, but it was a step in the right direction.

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**(-a/n- **Sorry this isn't amazingly long but it'll have to do. I'm really, really busy at the moment, not only with school work, but also sports fixtures and many hours of rehearsals, (tomorrow I have over TEN HOURS …eesh)… Please, please review it'll help to up my moral and will give me something to look forward through all my rehearsals. Anyway I must go to bed, toodles xxx)

**Confusedknight xxx**


	14. A stranger

**(-a/n- **Thanks, firstly for all the truly splendid, encouraging reviews and secondly for being so understanding about my limited free-time and therefore slow updating. I'm on a high as I've had my school's 'Gala Concert' which was in memory of our headmistress who died from cancer last year. Everything went so well, the theatre was almost sold out! So that's an audience of about 900 people! (For those of you that asked, I played the flute in various bands and the orchestra.)

I wrote this chapter mainly last night, but I didn't get round to finishing it so I decided to do so now, to get it posted tonight. But I'm so tired now; I spent ten hours at the theatre rehearsing and then straight into the concert…-yawns- …I hope you enjoy. )

**Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**Yeah, it is similar to Lalasa. But Kel obviously won't meet Lalasa so yeah…it was sort of a replacement. Thanks for reviewing :D

**bookworm-4-ever2012**Fabulicious is a cool word…hehehe thanks for reviewing :D

**Nyleve**Thanks :P

**On top of cloud 9**I did love my wonderful long review thanks ;D I'll send ya some pictures when I can get them off of my friend's camera! Lol! It was so funny!

**katiebug123**Thanks! Yeah I do love fanfiction for that reason; you can write, get feedback and then improve :D

**Trackdog**Thanks :)

**Fjk **Thanks for reviewing :D

**inuyashaswife12**At the moment I'm doing the 'winter-sports', hockey, netball and swimming. The rehearsal was very long because we sound terrible…lol :( hehe ah well…

**All Hail TP**thanks ;D

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**If you check your reviews on you fanfic you should find lots of reviews, as I realised yesterday evening that you had updated about sixteen chapters which I hadn't read…lol. Anyway…yeah being a hobbit was so fun :D I've been playing tons of netball, hockey and also swimming loads at the moment. Thanks for the lovely long review :D

**Yabberli**Aww dear…I hope your legs are feeling better :D What's the difference between winter and spring sports?? In my school they are the same…

**Justanotheraddiction **Thanks ;D

**theknightofkonaha**hehe…okay.

**Hasamaki**mmm! I love cookies :D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**mmm… the name is a problem…because initially I didn't want her to assume a false name but then the way that things turned out in the future plot (which floats around in my head, conveniently surfacing when I'm bored out of my mind, i.e. French lessons…) she will need a good name…hmmm…Anyway thanks for reviewing :D

**Rosie **lol 'fallen' fix, thanks for reviewing :P

**Pie of Doomeh**Kel is probably my favourite book character, possibly tied with Remus Lupin though :D

**AmericanElemental**lol, thanks, I'm glad you like it :D

**the. dead. addict.**I know the feeling, I'm so so so so so sleepy…Anyway thanks for reviewing despite your tiredness :D

**Erytha**hehe I'll try…

**Grace of Masbolle **Thanks!

**AJHHr12**Thanks ;D

**brezzybrez**no, for now Kel's true identity will stay unknown. Thanks for reviewing (as always :D )

**Me **Thanks !!!

**mangolady**Thanks for reviewing :P

**Love's a four-letter word**Basically I'm in several different groups; orchestra, wind ensemble, swing band, the pit orchestra etc. And it's all for a big concert which my school is holding on Sunday, in memory of our late headmistress…

**alynawatlovers**hehehe…I know it's sad ;(

**SaphirePhoenix**lol. Thanks for reviewing :D

**ella plain and simple**lol thanks so much!

**I love Fallen! **I like the name :P hehehe thanks for reviewing :D

**Erynfaer**yeah fanfiction is a brilliant way to relax. I find that it also probably saves me money too as I don't have to keep buying (as many :P) books…lol…Thanks for the shower of karma and the nice long review!

**Dom-Basher CHAMPION**Oh indeed! Teeheehee

**oirishgoddess**Our music teacher goes mad with rehearsals when we have a big concert coming up…

**epobbp**Thanks!

**Herald-Mage Saskia **Thanks :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

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Kel had broken the news to Fanche that she was leaving and despite being sorely tempted to stay, she knew that if she didn't leave now then she never would. On the Saturday morning she rose as she always did and made her bed for the final time.

Fanche insisted upon giving Kel a gigantic breakfast. They ate in silence; no one really knew what to say. When everything was cleared away Kel pulled on her cloak. She decided to travel light, taking only the clothes on her back and a sword. Fanche tried to press some copper nobles into her hand, but Kel refused to accept the money.

'I'll be fine,' she told Fanche, although in truth she had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do.

Kel hugged Layla and Fern and shook hands with the two men. When she came to say goodbye to Fanche, she was engulfed in a bone crushing hug. When they separated, silence hung between them. Not wanting to prolong the awkward moment Kel thanked them one last time and began to walk down the dirt-beaten track.

Fanche watched the figure of Kel move further and further away, her small legs marching her determinedly onwards; into the unknown. And Fanche wondered for the thousandth time just exactly who the extraordinary girl was, that had walked into her life for a few months.

Gothar reckoned that Kel would be back in a few days, hungry and dirty. But Fanche knew in her heart that Kel lived to a different agenda than anyone else she had ever met. She seemed to be so young and yet so determined to do whatever it was she wanted to do. At that moment Fanche knew that if she didn't ask now, then she would regret it forever.

She called, 'Who are you?'

Kel turned slowly, her face unreadable. Then she smiled.

'Kel, just Kel,' and with a little shake of her head she turned and walked out of sight.

Kel was still following the same road five hours later, and was now searching for signs of a settlement, where she might spend the night. She had been doing odd jobs around the village for several weeks and had a little money, enough to buy her some bread. It was a warm night and after buying a hunk of slightly stale bread, she waited for darkness to fall before sneaking into a barn for the night. If all went according to plan she would be gone before morning and the farmer need never know that someone had visited in the night.

Sure enough Kel left early the next morning and after sweet-talking a wagon driver, had managed to get herself a lift, sitting among sacks of sheep's wool.

She continued to travel, in no particular direction whatsoever, for the next four days. Whenever Kel entered villages she was careful to hide her sword nearby so as not to attract attention; a homeless girl didn't carry a sword. Although she ate sparingly, the little supply of money that she had, ran out. By the end of the day, Kel was fiercely hungry and driven by her hunger, begged at some houses to be given some scraps of food.

Unlike the Weir's, these people had no wish to share their food with a stranger and turned her away. Tears stung her eyes as she went to sleep that night, her stomach painfully empty. The following morning she walked miserably on to the next village, hoping that perhaps they would look more kindly on her. She was wrong.

By the afternoon Kel began to feel faint with hunger and the heat wasn't helping. In desperation Kel sought out the baker's shop and on the pretence of checking a price, she snatched two buns off of the shelf. Kel had never stolen anything before in her life, but the sheer, maddening hunger pressed her onwards. She turned and began to walk out of the shop, hardly daring to believe her luck when the paunchy shop-assistant shouted;

'Stop that girl! She's a thief!'

Panicking, Kel began to run, dodging between people, sprinting this way and that, through the large village. Eventually she lost her pursuers. Delving her hand into her shirt she pulled out on of the rolls and bit of a huge mouthful, chewing eagerly.

Kel was just finishing off the first roll when a shadow fell across her vision. She looked up into the face of a burly teenager who was advancing menacingly up the alleyway. Turning away from him, she saw a similarly built boy, coming up the alleyway from the opposite end. She was trapped.

Kel ran for it, pushing the teenager out of the way. Unfortunately his hand clamped down on her arm and jerked her backwards. Off-balance Kel couldn't perform the counter-move to throw him off. By then it was too late; his other massive hand caught her other arm, twisting it round behind her.

'Right, you're coming with me,' he grunted. 'My ma works hard in that shop to keep us afloat and any thieving urchin is gonna be punished.'

The punishment in the North Kel discovered, was not that of the Magistrate's court. Kel found herself being tied to a post in the middle of the square, so that her back faced the gathered onlookers.

'Let her be an example to all who think that they can steal and get away with it,' cried the Baker's wife piously.

'Give her ten,' cried someone in the crowd.

'Yes, ten,' agreed another, and soon the crowd was chanting 'Ten, ten, ten, ten.'

Tied up as she was, Kel couldn't see the baker's son advancing, but she felt the searing pain as a whip lashed against her back. Gasping in pain Kel gritted her teeth, forcing herself to resume her Yamani face.

Kel wondered vaguely, as another blow landed on her back, whether the villagers enjoyed watching this barbarity. But she supposed that up here in the North, where some nobles had probably forgotten about some of the towns that they were supposed to supervise, the villagers had to hand out their own methods of punishment.

The third lash hit her already tender skin and Kel screamed inside her head, but she didn't let any trace of expression cross her face. Unfortunately this spurred the Baker's son onto swinging the whip harder still, and the toughened leather, with small barbs studded along it, lashed into Kel's back again and again.

Eventually the tenth stroke landed and Kel breathed a small sigh of relief. Then to her dismay she felt the whip lash once again. Through the pain she could hear a man speaking.

'Enough son, she's had her punishment, let her go.'

Sure enough a few moments later, the bonds tying her were loosened and she straightened up. Pain laced through her back and she swayed. Somehow she managed to sneak away through the jeering crowd, humiliated and still hungry.

Once out of the village, she took a few deep breaths, calming herself. Now more than ever she wished she could return to Fanche and the homely farm. After a brief walk she found her sword, concealed in the bushes and strapped it back onto her waist. It was early evening and Kel didn't have anywhere to sleep for the night. Hopelessly she looked around at the forest on either side of her.

Suddenly she noticed a man walking down the road towards her. He was tall and muscular, with messy blonde hair. Behind him he led a gigantic chestnut horse. Kel loosened her sword in her scabbard; she wasn't going to take any chances with this stranger.

As they drew near his hazel-green eyes seemed to take in her appearance; from her dusty leather shoes, to her knotted hair and sweaty forehead.

'Nice evening,' he called out in Common.

Kel said nothing. She was staring at the sword on his hip. He followed her gaze and drew his sword, examining the blade lazily.

'Good sword this, I bought it in a market, lovely chap who sold it to me, his son had been a blacksmith for a while…' he trailed off, staring at the sword which now lay naked in Kel's hand.

'I meant no harm little one,' he called out.

'Then continue on your way, I'm not in the mood to talk to strangers,' Kel replied, also in Common.

He was still looking at the sword in her hand.

'Is it yours?' he questioned.

Kel nodded again, unsure of how to act around this stranger. He didn't act like a Northerner; he was too open, too friendly. This caused Kel to keep up her guard.

The man however seemed perfectly at ease. He tethered his horse to a tree, and began to set up a camp in a small clearing on the roadside. Kel watched uncertainly. Her instincts were telling her that she should probably get going, but her curiosity held her in place.

He set up the camp with an air of a frequent traveller, erecting the tent quickly and removing the saddle and packs off of his horse. He rummaged in his packs and drew out some packages wrapped in paper. He gestured to her and Kel scooted a little closer, her sword still drawn.

'You look half starved,' he commented, 'I've some food going spare.'

Instantly Kel's mouth began to water, but she hesitated. He noticed her reluctance.

'Look,' he said, unbuckling his now sheathed sword. 'Now you're armed and I'm not.'

Under normal circumstances Kel would've been more cautious but she was so hungry that she sat down on the grass and snatched up on of the proffered packages. Tearing off the paper she bit into a bread roll, stuffed with some kind of meat. It was tough, but to Kel it tasted like the best thing in the world.

He watched her eat, munching on his roll with slightly less fervour. When Kel licked the last few crumbs off of her fingers he tossed her an apple which she also demolished.

When they'd both finished he also found a gourd of water which he offered to Kel. Kel sniffed the water gingerly, trying to detect if he had tampered with the water. Laughing at her antics the man took the water off of her and drank deeply from it, before passing it back to her.

'No poison or drugs,' he said smiling.

When Kel had drained the last drop of water from the leather pouch, she looked confusedly at the handsome, kind, easy-going man who sat in front of her.

'Why are you being so nice?' she said bluntly.

He chuckled for a moment and then said seriously, 'I saw what happened to you in the town.'

Suddenly Kel felt very ashamed of herself.

'I didn't want to steal, really I didn't,' she insisted, 'But I was so-'

'Hungry.' He finished. Kel nodded in agreement.

'I figured that you weren't exactly a hardened criminal,' he explained, 'I went hungry for a while once…' he trailed off, 'Lets just say that I've no wish to repeat the experience.'

'Well…um…thanks,' said Kel, 'I wish there was a way in which I could repay you.'

He stared at her for a while, almost as though summing her up.

'I'm a curious person,' he said slowly, watching her shrewdly. 'And when I see a girl who can bear eleven whip lashes without so much as making a sound or spilling a tear, I want to find out more. Then when I saw you with the sword, I was even more interested.'

Kel didn't know what to say.

'Can you use the sword?' he asked her.

_Why does everyone always ask that? _Kel wondered silently, nodding at the man.

'Show me,' he challenged, getting up and picking up his own sword and unsheathing it. Kel scrambled to her feet, ignoring her smarting back and faced him. They moved out of the way of the makeshift camp.

'Guard,' said the man to begin the bout.

Kel watched the man intently as they circled each other, looking for any sign or hint that he was about to move. _He's testing me, _she thought, _he wants me to make the first move. _And they continued to circle, eyeing each others blades. Kel decided that if he wanted a demonstration of what she could do, then by Mithros she'd give him one.

Kel cut in low with her sword and then darted round to the left. He blocked, as she'd expected him to and they broke apart. Kel swung again, this time in a wide arc, her arm naturally repeating the movement which she had practised over and over. As he realised that she had been telling the truth he began to return the attacks, forcing Kel on several occasions to take the defensive role.

They continued to spar, neither aiming to hurt or injure the other, but merely to disarm them. Eventually, he pulled off a complex manoeuvre that sent her sword spinning into the air. Kel leapt aside, dodging his blade which tried to force her to yield. She ran to her sword and picked it up again.

The man watched the tiny girl in front of him, as they circled once more. Her face was completely blank, the picture of concentration. _Let's see how good you really are. _

He attacked again, and Kel sensed a change in the momentum of his attack. He gave no warning and attacked like a sledgehammer, driving her backwards. At first she defended strongly but as the intensity of his attack continued she only just managed to perform the right block in time. His blade was a blur, perfecting moves the likes of which Kel had never seen before. As her blade flew out of her hands once more, she found his sword-tip at her nose.

'I yield,' she said in common and he lowered his blade.

He bowed to her, before retrieving her blade and examining it in silence. Kel watched him, open-mouthed. The laid-back, unassuming man before her was a master of the blade. He passed her sword back to her, which she sheathed, still saying nothing. Then finally Kel said weakly.

'Where did you learn to fight like that?'

'I could ask the same thing of you.' He stated calmly.

Kel bit her lip; she had no intention of revealing that to anyone, it would involve too many awkward questions. After a few minutes silence, Kel said abruptly.

'Teach me to fight like that.'

This shocked the young stranger, more than anything else she'd said or done that evening.

'What did you say?'

Kel ploughed on, 'I said teach me to fight like that.' He listened to the half-concealed desire in her voice. _Why did this girl want to learn to fight so badly?_

'How would you pay me?'

Immediately Kel's face fell and she resumed her Yamani mask.

'I could be your servant…' she trailed off. _It was stupid, _thought Kel, _I'm just grasping at straws because I've got nowhere else to go. _

He studied the girl that sat before him long and hard. To be honest with himself he had never before had any thoughts on taking a servant. It would be too dangerous. But looking at the girl before him, would life as a homeless waif be any better?

'Alright then,' he said slowly, 'I'll make you a deal. In return for me teaching you swordplay, you will be, not so much of a servant, but more of an assistant.'

Kel's heart soared and she nodded eagerly.

The man continued, 'It will be dangerous though. I don't have a regular job; I go where I'm paid to go, to meet who I'm paid to meet. I…gather information-'

'You're a spy,' said Kel bluntly.

'Spy is such an un-eloquent way of putting it, but if you insist, then yes I am a spy,' he sighed dramatically.

At that moment this blonde stranger reminded Kel so much of Neal that she had to fight of a grin.

'Who do you work for?' asked Kel.

His hazel eyes gave her a penetrating look, eventually he said, 'The Whisper man.'

Kel stared blankly back, 'What I meant was, which country does your 'information' benefit?'

'Tortall.'

'You speak Tortallan?' asked Kel reverting to the aforementioned language.

'Amongst others,' he replied, also in perfect Tortallan.

'And are you Tortallan?' Kel asked, wanting to know more about the stranger who, although she didn't know it, would change her life forever.

'Over the next few weeks I'll be teaching you a lot more than swordplay,' he said, seeming to ignore Kel's question. 'You will work hard or the deal is off, in my line of work, one error, one slip of the tongue can get you killed. Before, I've always worked alone, preferred it, found it easier. But things are getting more and more difficult, lone travellers look suspicious. But an uncle travelling with his niece attracts far less attention don't you think?'

'And if you ever want to find out anything, you always go to the maid's quarters,' said Kel.

It took him a split-second to understand what she was saying and then he broke into a broad grin.

'Indeed you do. So there you have it, as my assistant you will pose as my niece, daughter, maid…and either enable me to gather information or you will be doing a bit of spying yourself. Anything you hear or see comes straight to me; you will not withhold any information from me. As for personal secrets, you don't ask me and I won't ask you.'

This made sense to Kel, life would be much easier if they weren't trying to pry into each other's pasts.

'Can I at least know your name?' she asked.

'I go by many names, and so will you in time. But you can call me Alex.' Kel noted his careful phrasing 'you can call me,' rather than 'my name is.' And she was about to think up a false name to go by when suddenly an idea struck her. He would be expecting her to invent a name and she remembered something which her brother had once taught her, _keep a lie simple and as near to the truth as possible. _

'You can call me Kelly, or Kel,' she said, pretending indifference.

She turned to the beautiful chestnut horse and stroked its muzzle gently.

'You're beautiful, yes you are,' she murmured. 'What's his name?' she called over her shoulder.

'This is Prince,' said Alex's voice which came from just behind Kel. She jumped; Kel hadn't heard him come up behind her. She turned around and sure enough Alex's large frame stood just behind her. Prince stepped forward, nuzzling his master.

'Kel,' said Alex, 'Let me take a look at your back, for you.'

'No it's alright,' said Kel who's back was now only throbbing dully.

'I can't teach you sword play if you're injured,' he stated and he led Kel by the shoulder back to his packs and pulled out some linen and a pot of ointment.

'Let me have a look then.'

'It's not proper,' mumbled Kel coyly.

'Come on,' he repeated, 'You're not some soft noble woman who cares about 'her honour'. I promise you that I have seen a girl's back before.'

Reluctantly Kel tried to lift her shirt over her head, but found that it pulled painfully at her back. She swore in Yamani.

'What did you say?' asked Alex suddenly.

'Nothing,' mumbled Kel.

'You speak Yamani.' It was not a question. But Kel nodded in confirmation.

He gave her another one of those piercing looks.

'The more I seem to find out about you the more you intrigue me.'

And carefully he began to peel away her shirt from her blood-encrusted back. When the shirt was off, he washed away the dried blood, soothing ointment on the multiple bruises left by the whip. Alex then wound clean linen bandages to stop any more bleeding.

'There you go,' he said, tying off the bandage with a flourish. 'I'll get you a clean shirt.'

Alex rummaged in his bags for a shirt and having found one, turned to face Kel. This time it was him who swore loudly.

'How did you do that?'

Kel looked down to the ugly scar across her chest; the only remaining physical reminder of her encounter with the Tauros. But she didn't say anything. Sensing that this was one of those 'personal secrets', Alex let it drop and handed the small girl the shirt which would undoubtedly be far too big.

By now it was getting dark and Alex placed all of his possessions inside the tent. Kel hovered, unsure of what to do.

'Are you coming in or not?' he demanded from the entrance.

Kel reluctantly entered the tent and settled down underneath a blanket which he had given her. Soon she was fast asleep. Alex watched his small, sleeping assistant with a smile upon his face. Kel would do just fine, once she'd been trained up a bit. Then he too settled down to sleep.

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**(-a/n-** Nice long chapter for you all. So...what did you think? ...Kel's gonna learn to be a spy...Please review :D ...It'll make your sleep deprived author very happy ;D )

**Confusedknight xxx**


	15. On the Way

**(-a/n- **As always I thank my lovely reviewers who leave such wonderful messages of positivity! (I think I just invented a word but oh well!) …I don't know where I'd be without them :D I'm also exceedingly happy as this story has over 400 reviews! That a record for me ;D Please, please keep them coming. And if you are one of those who don't review… please do, as they really do keep any author writing and it doesn't take very much effort. And I KNOW there are more that 40 people reading this story as 117 of you are being sent emails when I update according to my stats so please, please review :D I don't care if you've never done so before but just start from now…okay? –Right now I've got that out of my system…

(P.s. All the people who review already get star-shaped biscuits with pink icing and sprinkles :D) Secondly Alex is a) my own character, b) 20 years old …for those of you who asked.

And thirdly I've picked out a quote for you all from the great works of TP herself:

'**Very good. If you ever want work as an agent, I hope you'll come to me.' **–Sir Myles of Olau to Keladry of Mindelan, in 'Squire'.

See!! Even TP herself recognized Kel's potential to be a spy! Lol…I just thought I'd share that with you…(see my thought processes are not so crazy after all !)

**Poopie**Thanks for reviewing :D

**SavingSaturn**thanks, happy reading!

**epobbp**Cool! How long have you been playing the flute and tuba for? Thanks for reviewing :D

**shamrockgirl07**Thanks!

**SarahE7191**oops…I was always under the impression that Tortallan and common were different, oh well thanks for pointing that out :D Alex is 20.

**Pie of Doomeh**lol thanks :D

**kgwoozle**Thanks, don't worry I won't go crazy… :P

**Yabberli**hehe ultimate Frisbee sounds so cool! Thanks for reviewing :D

**inuyashaswife12**I'll try to sort out your confusion over how much time has passed in this chapter. I loved the super duper long review :D Oh yes this is gonna go right up to her return to Corus and maybe even beyond but we'll see…

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**hehe you're very welcome :D Especially since you've reviewed practically every chapter I've ever written :D

**Michi **Thanks!

**darkjewelledassassin**Maybe…teeheehee you'll have to wait and see …

**Elf-of-Sunlight**hehehe thanks for reviewing, I really do appreciate it :D

**Erynfaer**we should get hats for our sleep-deprived club! Lol! Don't worry Alex is a new character – you're not having a memory-lapse :D

**Golden23**lol and I'll say thanks again!

**truffletruffle01**okydoky ;D

**theknightofkonaha** ooh! Go you! Congrats on being accepted :P hehe you proved your advisor wrong ! Thanks for reviewing as well :D

**rosie **please don't die!!

**Echo Chambers**wow! Thanks so much :D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**I'm so excited about writing Kel and Alex…I hope you'll all like it…Anyway (Oh dearie me I do use far to many ellipsis's hehe…but I do so love them… :P) Thanks for reviewing :D

**Hasamaki**lol well at least it's original! Alex is 20…

**the. dead. addict.**Hehe thanks ;D

**I love Fallen! **Yeah Kel is gonna be a spy (at least for a while ;D ) Thanks for the review :D

**Justanotheraddiction **Thanks!

**Erytha**Thanks!

**Grace of Masbolle**He's a character which I made up :D Thanks…

**JaBoyYa**ah…you'll have to wait to find out about his lovely complicated past.

**bookworm-4-ever2012**:D I hope it was worth the wait :P

**SaphirePhoenix**No…definitely not…the hazel eyes and spying thing was a coincidence.

**On top of cloud 9**well…at first people were like 'what the hell are you ?' and then they glanced downwards, saw the hairy feet and began laughing…at which point we laughed, smiled politely…and ran away! It really was jolly fun but also quite embarrassing…

**Me **Thanks!

**All Hail TP**Okay!

**ella plain and simple**I know!

**Bertie Botts **Thanks :D

**Kat1132**thanks for reviewing :D

**Elentariel**hmmm…you'll have to wait and see :P

**alynawatlovers**:D thanks !

**Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**okay…the bone…in reply to the bone, basically Kel is eleven years old so she is pretty small anyway…(judging by the titchy ones we have at our school! lol) And also the year in the convent and eating little in the north means that she isn't going to grow as tall or as broadly as she would've done at the palace. Which is why I refer to her as small...Okay I'm updating now ;D

**Cat in a box**That is good! Tortallan fanfic is actually amazingly popular…of course its not huge on the Harry Potter scale, but compared to loads of other very well-known books TPFF thrives :D hehe thanks for reviewing ;D

**CIRPG **I love sugar too (mainly in chocolate form :D ) Thanks for reviewing :D

**mangolady**It would be very interesting indeed, (I'm not saying anymore :P) lol…thanks for reviewing.

**queenoftheostlers**Excuse me it was not just the first name in the Baby names book I took a great deal of –Okay so maybe I did get it from the book…it's a nice name –sulks- :P

**brezzybrez**Yup we should soon meet the whisper man, a.k.a. George :D

**oirishgoddess**Thanks!

**Dom-Basher CHAMPION**hehe thanks :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

**P.s. Here's another song for you guys. This one is 'On My Way' by Phil Collins from Brother bear…**

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_Tell everybody I'm on my way  
New friends and new places to see  
With blue skies ahead yes  
I'm on my way  
And there's nowhere else  
that I'd rather be_

_Tell everybody I'm on my way  
And I'm loving every step I take  
With the sun beating down yes  
I'm on my way  
And I can't keep this smile off my face_

_'Cause there's nothing like seeing  
each other again  
No matter what the distance between  
And the stories that we tell  
will make you smile  
Oh it really lifts my heart_

_So tell 'em all I'm on my way  
New friends and new places to see  
And to sleep under the stars  
Who could ask for more  
With the moon keeping watch over me_

_Not the snow, not the rain  
Can change my mind  
The sun will come out, wait and see  
And the feeling of the wind in your face  
Can lift your heart  
Oh there's nowhere I would rather be_

_'Cause I'm on my way now-  
well and truly  
I'm on my way now_

_I'm on my way now_

Tell everybody I'm on my way  
And I just can't wait to be there  
With blue skies ahead yes  
I'm on my way  
And nothing but good times to share

_So tell everybody I'm on my way  
And I just can't wait to be home  
With the sun beating down yes  
I'm on my way  
And nothing but good times to show  
I'm on my way_

_Yes, I'm on my way_

_

* * *

_

When Kel woke she lay still, staring at the leaf patterns made on the tent canvas by the early morning sunshine. Rolling over Kel saw that Alex's bed lay empty and she wondered why they were awake so early. She groaned; her back hurt after yesterday's occurrences, and extracted herself from the blanket.

It took Kel's eyes a moment to acclimatise to the dazzling light of the new morning and when they did she saw Alex sitting on the grass, cross-legged and quite obviously waiting for her.

'I was wondering when you were going to wake up,' he said, smiling good-naturedly at her.

He gestured that Kel sit down next to him and she did so, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

'Right,' Alex said, 'I've got a lot to teach you in a short space of time. Listen carefully. In an hour or so we're going to start the journey south, I have to meet with someone before we can return to…' he trailed off. 'To put it frankly, I have three weeks to go and meet the person who I work for and return to where I was working. That means you have three weeks to learn all there is to know about spying. If you don't learn, we'll both be dead within a week of returning. I'll emphasize again that what we'll be doing is dangerous, if you've got any second thoughts I won't mind if you leave now and there'll be no hard feelings.'

Kel stayed sitting, she was going to see this through to the end. It would be her only chance to truly learn the art of swordplay.

Seeing her determined expression a broad grin broke over Alex's face.

'We'll have breakfast in an hour or so. Firstly I will keep my side of the deal and begin to instruct you in swordplay.'

They both stood, Kel tying back her long hair with a leather thong.

'First we stretch,' said Alex. 'I'm going to teach you a trick that is crucial to any form of fighting; you can't possibly expect to fight with a head full of thoughts so as we stretch I want you to empty your mind. Find inner stillness, set aside all emotion. It will take practise but once you've mastered the skill it will be invaluable.'

He then led Kel through a lengthy stretching routine, explaining that in doing so she was reducing the chance of injury but also making her more agile. Alex himself was the most flexible person Kel had ever met, and she had difficulty in following some of the more complex stretches.

'That's right, and hold that position,' he instructed, 'It will get easier with time and gradually you'll become a lot more limber.'

Then Alex fetched both their swords, handing Kel's to her wordlessly.

He looked at her, scrutinizing her face.

'You've got a 'Yamani' face on.' He said, 'Like you did yesterday.'

Kel nodded her face expressionless.

'Okay, consider this your first lesson. As useful as it may be sometimes to hide your true emotions, by removing them altogether you attract far too much attention to yourself. For example yesterday, if you had been bawling your eyes out I would've passed on my way without a second glance. As it was, I noticed you immediately. You're going to have to learn to control your emotions without showing me a blank face. Anyway more of that later.'

He started off Kel's lesson by checking Kel's grip on her sword and her stance. Once he was satisfied with them both, then he set Kel to learning a tricky thrust, in which the sword drove forward, twisting at the last minute. They practised that for a while in various states of motion. Then Alex indicated that she should transfer her sword to her left hand. Mystified Kel obeyed.

'The best swordsmen and women can fight equally well with their left and right hands,' explained Alex.

'But-' Kel protested.

'You want to be one of the best?' he cut across her.

Kel nodded.

'Then you learn to fight with both hands.'

And he made her start with a basic sweep with her left arm. It was awkward and the sword felt heavy and cumbersome on her weaker left arm. Eventually Alex signalled that she should stop practising. Sighing inwardly with relief she sheathed her sword.

'I'm not going to teach you anything new until your left arm is up to the standard of your right arm. You can't possibly expect to fight with only one arm. What if your right arm gets injured? If you can't fight with the left arm you're dead.'

Kel nodded, slightly annoyed at his refusal to teach her anything new, but it made her more determined to master the sword with her left arm. They proceeded to pack up their small camp and as the final few things were loaded onto Prince, Alex asked,

'Can you speak Scanran?'

Kel shook her head.

'You've got three weeks to learn it then,' said Alex, ever cheerful. 'You'll be completely useless as a spy if you can't understand the conversation you overhear.'

He then switched into the harsh Scanran tongue. He spoke slowly and deliberately and Kel recognized a few of the words, including the word for 'Scanran' itself. And although she didn't understand much of the conversation, the meaning was all too clear. Her heart sunk, he was only going to talk to her in Scanran.

_It will be like the Yamani Islands all over again, _Kel thought, remembering how she hadn't understood half of what was being said, and the other children calling her 'stupid foreigner.'

On the other hand it had only taken about a month or so for her to be speaking more or less fluent Yaman, maybe it was true what they said; the only way to learn a language is to speak it.

Alex mounted Prince and Kel stood, wondering what to do. This decision was made for her when Alex set off at a brisk trot. She ran after him wondering what on earth he was doing.

Alex called something down to her, smiling and Kel heard the word for 'good' and 'you'. Sighing yet again, now with a pretty good idea of what she was meant to do, she continued to jog after the glossy chestnut horse and her slightly eccentric new teacher.

After half an hour Kel's legs felt like jelly and her skin was flushed and hot. Breathes came in short gasps and her heart hammered madly in her chest. She gritted her teeth and kept running. Ten minutes later Kel was about to collapse from exhaustion. The sun was really up by now and even in the shady forest the temperature was soaring.

Just as Kel was about to sit down, unable to carry on, Alex stopped Prince. He beckoned for her and extending an arm to reach her, he helped Kel onto the massive horse. They started up again, Kel sitting in front of Alex. He offered her a canteen of water which she gulped at thirstily.

All the while Alex was speaking to Kel in Scanran, making her repeat phrases to get the feel of the harsh language, even if she didn't have a clue as to what she was saying. After about an hour or so Alex stopped Prince and helped her down, leaving her to jog alongside the huge horse again.

The rest of the day continued in this fashion, Kel alternating between running and riding as they travelled ever southwards. Eventually the thick northern forests gave way to the rolling foothills of the Grimhold mountains, whose very peaks could be seen on the horizon. When Kel had run away from the Convent in the City of the gods she had headed West, right along the Northern border, through the forest. Now, to travel south they had to make there way through the hostile terrain of the Grimhold mountains. Kel had never seen the mountains up close, just the distant peaks which could be seen from Mindelan, all those miles to the West and on the southern side of the mountains.

They met few people as they travelled and as soon as they did come within hearing distances Alex switched abruptly to Tortallan, sometimes in mid-sentence, without even pausing to breathe as he seamlessly changed languages. Kel wondered which was his first language, his home language. His blonde hair would indicate Scanran origins, but most Scanran's eyes were blue and Alex's were most definitely hazel.

That evening, camping at the roadside, Kel's lessons began again. They once again performed the complex stretching routine, which felt good after a hard days travelling. Then, instead of swordplay, Alex began to teach her a new style of punch, her hand shaped into a thumb-over-fingers fist, which started palm up at her waist and travelled upwards to face down at the point of contact. She practised this with both her right and left hands until her arms ached.

Alex had left her to her own devices whilst he set up the camp so Kel unsheathed her sword, set it resolutely in her left hand and began to practise. When Alex came back he carried several small, sheathed daggers. Kel stopped practising as he drew closer.

He began to talk again in Scanran and handed her the six daggers. He began to point to the different body parts, naming them all in Scanran, making Kel copy him. Then Alex showed her how to conceal the daggers upon her person and Kel had the feeling that some of her future lessons would be learning how to use them.

That evening they ate a plain, but filling meal of the last of the bread, beef-jerky and apples, washing it all down with water. Every so often Alex would point to something and name it, Kel trying her best to store the names in her memory.

Kel went to bed that night exhausted, both mentally and physically. She had no doubt that within a few months of working for Alex she would have learnt so much. Not only about spying, or fighting, but about the world. Kel had lived a relatively closed life. She had only lived in Mindelan, then the Imperial Palace in the Yamani Islands, the Palace in Corus and then the Convent. Even just living in Goatstrack and travelling the North for a week had given her a taste of what life was truly like for some people. _There's so much to learn, _thought Kel sleepily, _at least I'm on my way again, most importantly with someone who can teach me. _

_

* * *

_

_Kel could see the monster's vindictive eyes, feel its hot breath, it's horns ripping into her flesh, it poised above her…_

Kel cried out, flailing madly and woke up. It took her a few seconds to realise where she was; safe in Alex's tent. Alex had sat bolt upright at the noise, dagger drawn and was staring about, his eyes wide, peering through the gloom.

'Kel are you all right?' he called out in Tortallan.

Kel didn't reply, instead she shut her eyes, trying to rid herself of the horrible memory. She breathed in and out, shakily.

Alex, sensing that she was upset, said

'Come on; let's get you out of this stuffy tent.'

And he helped her out into the cool night air. They made their way across the leafy clearing, to a small pond. Prince whinnied softly in greeting as they sat down on a log, staring out across at the moonlight reflecting on the still water. Alex sidled closer to Kel, wrapping a brotherly arm around her. _Just as Neal would've done _thought Kel.

Kel wanted him to tell her that everything would be alright, that she'd never again have to live through one of her nightmares but she knew it was impossible. She would be plagued with them until the day she died. They were always so real, so terrifying and she wanted to break down and cry, but she had to be strong. _I've put it behind me, _she told herself sternly.

She rubbed her chest scar unconsciously and Alex looked down. Kel stopped, embarrassed, she mustn't be weak, she had to be strong-

'I don't know how you got that scar and I respect you too much to ask,' said Alex slowly. 'But it has healed, and given time the memories and nightmares will fade too. Be patient…'

He stood up and made his way back to the tent, leaving Kel to make sense of her confused thoughts. She looked out over the still pool and realised something, it was almost a year since she had left the Palace. Which would mean that sometime in the next few days would be her twelfth birthday. It seemed so strange that after all that had happened to her that year, something as mundane as a birthday would still occur.

_And what have I achieved this year? _Thought Kel sardonically, and at that moment she made herself a promise; in a year's time, if she was still alive, she would look back and be proud of what she had learnt.

Kel then made her way slowly back to the tent, deeply inhaling the sweet, damp smells of Tortallan summer.

* * *

Neal couldn't sleep. It was an hour past midnight, on the sixteenth day of June; it was Kel's birthday. _But Kel is dead, _he told himself for the hundredth time.

His page room at the Palace was stiflingly hot. Normally the Pages would still be on their Summer camp, but the new training master had shortened the holiday considerably, feeling that two months was too long to be away from the Palace training. This year's training camp had been remarkably uneventful, although two days after they'd left a couple of squads of the King's Own had stumbled across a large group of bandits.

His cousin Dom had been in the centre of the fighting and had written to Neal, telling all about how they'd captured the errant bandits and how the normally calm Raoul had lost his temper with the district commander, who had assured the King's Own that the area was Bandit free.

Neal was close to completing his second year of page training, despite the fact that he was already seventeen years of age. Sometimes Neal could really feel the age gap between himself and his year mates. Even the respected fourth year pages were still three years younger than he was.

When Kel had been there it hadn't bothered him so much, despite the fact that she was the same age as his younger sister, but Kel was only a fading memory, Kel was dead. No matter how many times he told himself, Neal still couldn't bring himself to face the fact that the best friend he'd ever had was dead. Sighing he rolled over, tomorrow he had a test in mathematics, he needed to get to sleep.

_Kel would've been twelve…_ the same thought plagued him, running round and round inside his mind until his head ached.

It was no good, he couldn't sleep. Getting up, Neal went to the window and opened it wider still, searching for a hint of a previously overlooked breeze. Neal wasn't normally a person who sought divine intervention in his daily life, but now, as he stared out at the sleeping city he prayed, more sincerely perhaps than he ever had before.

'_Great Mother, if Kel, by some miracle is still alive, grant her your blessing. Just let me see her again, like she promised. And if she resides in your brother's dark realm then send her the peace she so deserves.'_

For now, Neal clung to the shred of hope, the miniscule chance that Kel might still be alive.

And although Neal didn't know it, the Goddess was smiling. For how could Nealan of Queenscove know that at that very moment a certain twelve-year-old was sitting, staring out across a pool, also unable to sleep? About to embark upon a journey that would turn Kel into the woman whom Neal would meet in less than three years time.

* * *

**(-a/n-** Okay so another fillerish chapter, but these things can't be helped and hopefully you'll all gradually learn more about Alex and Kel's new lifestyle. Please review, especially as it's my birthday on Friday :D )

Toodles xxx

**Confusedknight **


	16. An unexpected adventure

**(-a/n- **Wow! Thank you all, I love my reviewers so much –hugs everyone- :D It's my birthday tomorrow :D –dances happily- as I'm in such a good mood you get an update ;D Also I thought it would be rather appropriate – sixteenth chapter for my sixteenth birthday :D hehehe. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I've got big plans for it :D :D :D :D Lots of happy faces -author is grinning broadly- :D :D :D :D :D :D )

**Erytha** I know! I suddenly looked at it the other day and thought wow! It's so long already!

**Aly the Spy** Thanks :D

**Grace of Masbolle**Thanks !

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**I know! Learning languages is soooo hard. For my French oral exam I have to memorize the answers to 110 questions!! It kills me. Yeah latin is a nasty language too, although I took the exam last year so I don't have to do it anymore :D hehe. We had to study Virgil and it killed me! What do you have to do? I'm sorry I don't have any star shaped cookies, but I did make chocolate Easter nest things so you can have one of those:D Thanks as always :D

**Elementalmoon**Nope, there will definitely be some romance later on but she's only twelve at the moment, so I'm going to wait a while :D

**brezzybrez**In answer to your question, look at the review answer above! Lol, thanks for reviewing :D

**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I simply can't wait until Kel and Neal meet again, but I've got a hell of a lot of stuff to write in between! Lol, I'd better get typing quickly ;D

**violingrl07**Thanks! I'm honoured to be your first reviewed story :D hehe, thanks, it really is very nice to know that people are enjoying my writing :D

**inuyashaswife12**I'm going to be 16! Yay I can't wait :D Thanks for reviewing…I know…poor Neal…

**Lady Sapphirea**um…about 4 months since she ran away. Well noticed about Liam's punch, no Alex isn't Shang but you'll find out the significance of it all later on. I was referring to the Lioness and Liam mainly as in the books both of them fight with both their left and right hands.

**Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**yay! No bones is good indeed :D But Alex isn't her lover, just to clarify. She's only just turned twelve so no romantic interests at present. Their relationship is more brother/sister.

**Lady Highschoolnerd**hehe thanks :D

**truffletruffle01**yay! Thanks !

**Kat1132**Thanks :P

**Erynfaer**Yay I'm on school holidays now so I slept for more than seven hours last night!! Lol ;D Please don't die, -shakes fist at school who tries to kill reviewer- hehee :D Thanks for finding time in your busy life to review :D

**theknightofkonaha**Thanks ;D

**Hasamaki**Don't worry, I will, I love ice cream and cake :D

**bookworm-4-ever2012**hehe :D thanks!

**Fjk **Thanks :P

**Me **I find the songs hidden away on my computer or mp3 and suddenly I think 'AH HA!' and little lightbulbs light up in my brain and then I fit the song into this fic. However the main song this is all based on is Fallen (which I still haven't tired of listening too despite the fact the play count on my mp3 is well into the 300's :D ) lol :D Thanks for reviewing :D

**Hello Joe **hehe, thanks :D Yeah I know there does always seem to be a 'but'. I tried a new layout, so that the review replies take up less space but the site wouldn't let me when I uploaded the chapter it changed it... The idea behind the song is that music is an inspiration to some of my writing so I post the lyrics when they fit with the plotline. This whole fic popped into my head whilst listening to 'Fallen' but anyway, sorry if you don't like the lyrics.

**the. dead. addict.**Hehehe Thanks ;D –sighs- I can't wait for Kel to get a little bit older, then I can have some fun writing romance :D

**Yabberli**Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the pace, that's always one of the things that I worry about. You've put my mind at rest! Lol ;D Have you ever played underwater Frisbee? That's good fun too :D hehee

**SavingSaturn **Thanks ;D

**Covered Clouds**Nope Alex isn't George, he's a lot younger than George. But he does work for George. Thanks for reviewing, I'll try and sort out my 'there' and 'their' 's but it's one of those things that I tend to miss when spell-checking ;D

**Saz **cool :D Thanks!

**I love Fallen! **Well Alanna and Liam both fought with both there hands and they are probably the best ever mentioned in the Tortallan universe, although it is a bit of interpretation on my behalf ;D Thanks for reviewing ;D

**Golden23**Thanks!

**ella plain and simple**hehe, thanks!

**SarahE7191**Thanks!

**epobbp**Cool! I've been playing the flute for seven years too! The tuba must be great fun to play, but I'd imagine quite hard to carry around with you…still it could be worse I guess…imagine if you played the double bass! Hehe. Thanks for reviewing ;D

**Bertie Botts **Thanks :)

**Pie of Doomeh**lol :D tee hee hee, read on to find out :D Thanks as always :D

**queenoftheostlers**um…excuse me! How dare you excuse me of including Eragonness !! lol Alanna fights with two hands !! lol :D I'm so excited about tomorrow, it's gonna be so good :D (Lots of chocolate shall be consumed :D)

**The Sherberty Lemon**Thanks :D

**Penguins stole my marbles **thanks ;P

**JaBoyYa**maybe…she has to be a bit older though for romance :D

**Justanotheraddiction **hehehe :D please don't stop reading, you'll have to wait for a long time for it's completion…oh good I'm glad you're too clingy. Thanks ;D

**Elentariel**Thanks!

**waterdancer15**Thanks for reviewing ;D

**manicpony24**aww…thanks ;)

**All Hail Books**Happy Birthday! This is obviously a good birthday week ;P

**tsudrats**yay! Thanks for reviewing ;D

**katiebug123 **I'm really sorry for missing you off the list last time, you must have reviewed just after I wrote all the review replies. Thanks for reviewing x 2 :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

**

* * *

**

As they travelled ever southwards the already hot weather became increasingly warmer. By now Kel's skin had gone past the 'burnt' stage and was tanning nicely in the summer sun. It was at times like these that she wished she was a boy and she could just take off her shirt. As it was she cut her shirt sleeves off, trying to make it as small as possible to cool herself down.

Surprisingly Alex didn't take off his shirt until one exceptionally hot afternoon, when the temperature soared higher than Kel ever believed possible. They were both covered in sweat and dust from the road. Kel had swept her hair up into a rough ponytail, to stop it from sticking to her neck but despite her best efforts to stay cool, her shirt was soaked with sweat and she was feeling irritable and uncomfortable.

When Alex did take off his shirt, it revealed a muscular physique. What made Kel stare was a scar, as big and as nasty as her own, running from his right shoulder to his left hip, marring the unblemished, sweaty skin.

Kel's curiosity almost made herself forget their promise about not asking each other personal questions, but she caught herself just in time. She now realised why Alex was reluctant to take off his shirt.

Kel's Scanran was progressing steadily and she could now have a, somewhat stilted, conversation with Alex. The most important thing, for now, was that she could understand spoken Scanran. They would work on her conversational and written skills later. When Alex was instructing Kel in the art of spying, he tended to slip back into Common as Kel needed to be one hundred percent sure of her instructions.

But Kel's other lessons also continued, unhindered by the heavy travelling that they underwent each day. For the majority of the time the roads were empty so Alex could teach her things as they rode, or in Kel's case as she ran. The continued running had almost killed her in the first couple of days, but Kel's legs and cardiovascular system were rapidly adjusting to her routine and in turn her increased fitness helped with her swordplay.

Most evenings Alex would fence with her for an hour or so. Without fail, Kel lost every single time, marvelling at Alex's skill. She never became disheartened, it merely made her all the more determined to master the blade. She still couldn't believe her luck at finding such a good teacher and Kel thanked the Great Mother Goddess for it every night.

The latest addition to Kel's busy day was a slightly strange mix of tumbling and agility training. Kel's flexibility had come on in leaps and bounds and the previous evening Alex had reckoned she was ready to start working on her agility. To demonstrate Alex had flipped himself over backwards with the ease of one who has simply turned around. He also demonstrated how to drop from a height and land in a position which would prevent the shattering of leg bones.

Kel's eagerness to learn how to tumble quickly wore off when she realised how hard it was. Even with Alex supporting her she barely made it all the way over and she dreaded the day when Alex would make her do it unaided.

Perhaps the favourite of Kel's lessons, (with the exception of swordplay) was dagger work. She had nimble feet and found the exercise to be similar to that which the Yamani's did with fans. Of course she wasn't tossing the daggers around, but the Yamani fan's could and were used as weapons, and when they were, the results were usually quick and painful for the enemy.

Alex revealed little about his work, but any information which he let slip, Kel filed away in her mind. Not that she thought Alex spoke carelessly, Kel figured that he was far to careful to do that, but by feeding her little scraps of information he was also testing her abilities to remember and recall that information.

One afternoon, nine days after they had met, Alex spoke to her for the first time about who they were on their way to meet. Kel was running along side Prince, her face red and hot, re-tying up her hair for what seemed like the hundredth time when Alex stopped abruptly and dismounted. Kel also stopped running and together they made their way to the side of the road.

When they got to the small grassy bank at the side of the road, they scrambled up it. Kel could now see what she hadn't been able to previously; a small stream running alongside the road. It would be a good chance to let Prince have a drink and a short rest, as well as drinking themselves and filling up their leather water skins.

'We're about to arrive in the small village of Greenpond, one day's ride north of Corus. The man we are to meet is the Whisper man himself, the very top man. I've only had the privilege of meeting him once before, when I had just started the job. He runs the Spy network for Tortall with an iron fist. He alone knows the exact location of probably hundreds of agents in all sections of society in all countries. As you've probably guessed I work in Scanra, as a matter of fact I work in the Capital. The trouble is, somehow the network has been intercepted and communications have been made damn near impossible.'

'So you're here to report the problem?' surmised Kel.

'Amongst other things, yes,' said Alex.

'Firstly there are some things you should know about the Whisper man. He can smell a lie a mile off and he's probably the best spymaster Tortall has ever had. Of course the majority of the Tortallan nobility are completely clueless about the true nature of his pastimes, but his father-in-law plays the role of spymaster, which distracts the public gaze from his work. He knows all the tricks in the book when it comes to spying and he is a man unto himself when it comes to daggers.

However I don't think it wise that we inform him of our arrangement. For one thing he has a daughter, who must be slightly younger than you and he might disapprove of me allowing you to help, especially when things are so dangerous at the moment. He might also feel that you would be a hindrance to my work. All in all, the less we say the better.'

Half an hour later, as the sun began to set, Alex and Prince entered the small village, apparently alone. Kel was following closely behind, under the instructions to remain hidden outside.

Kel watched from a distance as Alex stabled his huge chestnut horse and entered a small, run-down tavern. She absent-mindedly scuffed her foot in the dirt, _what was she going to do for the next few hours?_

She had half a mind to bed down in Prince's stable but she might be discovered by a hostler or stable boy. Deciding that she had nothing better to do, she let curiosity lead her back across the street, keeping low in the shadows until she was round the side of the pub. Somehow Kel didn't think that Alex and his boss would be meeting in a rowdy bar, it was probably far more likely that they were in one of the private rooms at the back of the Inn.

Kel crept around to the back of the Inn and climbed up into a tree, hidden from view by the thick foliage. She could hear the murmur of men's voices but couldn't discern any words over the hubbub of noise coming from the bar. _That's probably why they chose a pub for a meeting place _thought Kel.

Just as she was wondering what to do next a small voice called out clearly,

'What are you doing?'

Kel almost fell out of the tree with shock. She looked down wildly but couldn't see anyone.

'I'm up here,' called the voice.

Kel looked up. Leaning out of a first storey window was a small girl, but Kel couldn't distinguish anymore than that in the poor light of the evening. She had two options; either she ran away fast and hoped that the girl didn't tell anyone, or she could climb further up the tree and talk to the girl.

Led by her curiosity, a position which she found herself in more and more frequently these days, Kel climbed higher and crawled along a branch until she was practically on the girl's windowsill.

'Would you like to come in?' asked the smaller girl pleasantly, as though Kel had merely knocked on the front door of her house, instead of climbing up a tree to her bedroom windowsill.

'Um…it might be safer,' replied Kel, _act stupid _she thought.

And Kel scrambled ungracefully into the room, bringing a great many leaves and twigs with her.

The girl was alone in the small bedroom and Kel could see her more clearly now, by the light of an oil lamp. The girl looked to be about nine or so, with reddish-blonde hair and dancing hazel eyes, which were much greener than Kel's own.

'Um…hello,' said Kel lamely, standing awkwardly by the window, ready to make her escape should the occasion arise.

'You came with Alex,' it was not a question.

Kel wondered whether she should deny it, but looking at the girl before her, Kel sensed that she was a lot cleverer than she was letting on and as the girl knew who Alex was…

'How do you know Alex?' she asked.

The smaller girl shrugged,

'He came to meet my Pa. I'm Aly.'

'Kel,' she replied, slightly unnerved by the girl's bluntness.

If this girl was the Whisper man's daughter that Alex had mentioned earlier, then surely the meeting couldn't be all that secret. Alex had always emphasized the spying game to be highly dangerous, but here Aly stood, probably knowing a lot more about the meeting than Kel.

'So…' said Aly, launching herself onto one of the dank, mouldy-looked twin-beds that took up most of the room. 'Can you use those daggers?' she said, gesturing towards Kel's person.

Yet again Aly surprised Kel, perhaps Aly knew more about spying than Kel had thought. When the small girl slipped out two daggers of her own, Kel decided that nothing more about the girl could possibly shock her.

Kel pulled out two of her own daggers and nodded. Aly gestured that Kel take a seat on the other bed. She absentmindedly balanced a dagger, hilt down on her finger as she began the conversation again.

'Pa didn't tell me that there would be a girl coming with Alex. In fact he doesn't know, I spotted you as you entered the village,' said Aly with a hint of pride. 'You really shouldn't sneak like that; you look soooooooo obvious, as well as the fact that you stood watching Alex's horse and then considering the Inn for ages. It really didn't take a genius to work out that you were with him.'

'And I suppose you could do better?' asked Kel, irked by the younger girls comments.

'Well, yes actually.' Said Aly, 'Pa's taught me all there is to know about spying, code-breaking and lock-picking and he's the best.'

Just then Aly flicked the dagger up, caught it one handed and sent it spinning away, until it landed with a dull thud, right in the middle of the window frame, where it stayed, quivering, centimetres away from being out of the window. Getting up Aly yanked it out of the wooden frame with the air of one who had done so many times before.

Kel was impressed. Aly's boasts about lock-picking and code-breaking didn't interest her much, but dagger throwing was listed under one of the more exciting aspects of spying in Kel's opinion. Forgetting her pride for a moment Kel asked excitedly,

'Can you teach me to do that?'

'Sure,' said Aly, brightening at the prospect of something to do. 'You don't know how bored I've been all day. Keep out of sight and don't attract attention to yourself, were my objectives for the day, and it's been goddamn boring.'

Aly fetched a piece of charcoal from the out of use brazier and drew a target on the opposite end of the room from the window. Then stepping right back she sent her own two daggers flying into the middle of the target.

She then pulled out a third dagger from under her breeches and demonstrated the correct technique of how to throw the dagger.

Kel's first few throws were awful, some bouncing uselessly off of the walls as their hilts hit the wall first and others not even making it the complete distance to the wall. Aly politely refrained from laughing and by the time Kel was on the fourth round of throwing all the daggers, some of them were actually going near the target.

'You've got the hang of it now,' said Aly, 'You'll just have to practise.'

Kel sighed, 'My entire life seems to be made up of practising various things,' she said ruefully.

'What else do you practise?' asked Aly interestedly.

'Fighting; hand-to-hand and swordplay, languages, spy work, to name just a few…'

'Are you good at fencing?' asked Aly.

'I'm okay…' said Kel, unsure of what was classed as 'good.'

Kel had left her sword in their packs; a twelve-year-old girl with a sword attracts far too much attention.

'My Ma's the best,' said Aly matter-of-factly, 'she never loses…except when she was much younger of course.'

A bell suddenly went off in Kel's head as she realised who Aly's mother must be. She remembered Neal once telling her that Sir Myles of Olau was the King's spymaster. At the time she hadn't thought much of it, but her whole life seemed to have been changed and now that she was dipped into this web of intrigue and secrecy, it mattered a great deal who the King's spymaster was.

So if Sir Myles was the spymaster, then according to Alex the real leader of the network, the one who did all the legwork, was his son-in-law, George Cooper, the Lioness' husband.

Suddenly a horrible thought struck Kel; Baron George Cooper would surely know all the news from Court. Know that she had been kicked out, and had then run away. What if he found out from Aly that there had been a 'Kel' with Alex, one who knew how to fight? What if he made the connection? Her blood ran cold at the thought; she was not ready to return to Corus.

Before she could dwell on this chilling thought any longer, Aly's eyes had suddenly lit up.

'Do you want to find out what they're talking about?' she asked excitedly. 'I may have a way…'

'Come on!' said Aly as she scrambled up and ran to the window.

Then, beckoning Kel to follow her, she hurried out of the room. Instead of going downstairs, as Kel would've expected, Aly ran upstairs. They passed a man on his way down and Kel cringed inside, waiting for him to say something or drag them downstairs, but he walked on by completely ignoring them. _Aly was right _thought Kel, no one notices you if you act normally. Soon Kel and Aly were on the top floor of the Inn.

'You're not scared of heights are you?' asked Aly grinning as she ran to the end of the corridor.

Kel swallowed, she was scared of heights, but she didn't say anything. At the end of the corridor was a window, which Aly opened, silently. She peered out.

'I'm going to stand on the ledge and pull myself up, using the trellis that's on the left here.' And she did just that, climbing up like a monkey until Kel could no longer see her dangling legs.

'Come on,' called Aly. 'We haven't got all night.'

Kel breathed in deeply and peered out, down to the floor three storeys below them and to her amazement she felt no fear. OK, she was slightly nervous about the drop beneath her and what would happen if she fell, but it was no longer the mind-numbing, body-freezing fear she had felt before. Kel wondered what had changed. Then in her mind's eye she saw the Tauros, it's monstrous figure and burning eyes. She shuddered. Compared to what the Tauros had done to her, a simple height was nothing to fret over. She copied what Aly had done and soon sat on the thatched roof of the Inn.

Aly's eyes were still shining with excitement.

'This is so cool!' she exclaimed in a whisper. 'You're so much more fun than other people my age, not even my twin would do this with me!'

And she was off again, scrambling up the roof, gripping the twigs of the densely woven thatch, Kel following close behind. They reached the peak of the roof and shuffled along. Aly stood up when they reached the large chimney.

'I happened to notice earlier,' said Aly that the only room in the Inn with a fireplace was the one in which Pa and Alex are meeting.'

'You can't seriously be suggesting that we climb down the chimney!' whispered Kel.

Aly's grin was answer enough.

'If we just prise the grate off the top, there should be some sort of ladder inside, which the chimney sweep uses.'

Sure enough, when they carefully pulled the metal mesh off of the top and balanced it carefully on it's side, there was enough space for them to climb down inside, using a series of metal rungs inside the chimney. A grown man wouldn't have been able to do it, but Kel and Aly were considerably smaller than most men and fitted down it easily. Aly went first, Kel following close behind. Just above the grate was a ledge on which the chimney sweep could place his equipment. It was just big enough for both girls to squeeze onto. It was perfect; as it was summer there was no fire in the grate and apart from the cramped conditions they were in the perfect place to listen to the conversation between the men in the room.

Kel recognized Alex's voice immediately and therefore presumed that the lilting voice belonged to Aly's father, Baron George Cooper. She could hear the chink of cutlery and realised that the men must be having a meal.

They spoke in hushed tones and Kel wondered whether the names being mentioned in the conversation meant anything to Aly. They spoke a great deal about a person called 'Maggur', there was also a 'Blayce' mentioned and a lot said about private armies, warring clans and a 'Marcus'.

They must have been eavesdropping for about twenty minutes when their luck ran out. The metal mesh must have become unbalanced by the summer breeze and clanged noisily against the chimney. Immediately both George and Alex fell silent.

'What was that?' asked Alex.

George stood up and walked over to the fireplace, examining it carefully.

'It sounded like it came from up here,' and he peered up the chimney. Of course, now he was actually looking up the chimney he couldn't fail to notice two pairs of skinny legs and he pulled on them, hard.

Both Aly and Kel fell into the empty grate in a large cloud of soot and dust. George stood back, coughing and wearing an exasperated expression, somewhere between anger and amusement.

'Well, well…' said George, the corners of his mouth twitching at the sight of his soot-covered, sheepish-looking daughter.

At that exact moment all hell broke loose in the room next door and a second later three burly men, who were clearly drunk burst into the room. Through the open door Kel could see a massive tavern brawl occurring in the main room. Glasses were flying everywhere and all over the place men were punching each other. The terrified bar tender was cowering underneath a table and over in the corner, where it was getting really nasty the men had drawn daggers and were attempting to stab each other.

George drew Aly behind his back, daggers appearing in his hands as he did so. Alex too pulled out daggers and unsheathed his sword, which he tossed to Kel. Kel hefted his sword, it was slightly longer and heavier than what she was used to, but no where near as heavy as the sword with which she had tried to slay a Tauros in the Temple.

If George was surprised that Alex handed over his best weapon to Kel, he didn't show it, or indeed any sign of surprise that Kel was there at all.

'Ah, we meet again,' said a man with a strong Tyran accent.

George nodded curtly and attacked without warning, sending his dagger whirling into the chest of the first attacker. If Aly was good with her daggers, it was nothing compared to her father. Alex launched into the fight after George and Kel and Aly followed suit.

Kel used the sword to simply smash the dagger out of her opponents hand, she then slashed low at his legs, impairing him, but not aiming to kill. A further two men rushed into the room, with the same slanting eyes of the first three attackers.

Kel once again began to attack, not paying any attention to the other fights going on around her. Unfortunately her second opponent had a sword, not just a dagger, which he drew and began to slash at her. He was good, but no where near as good as Alex and Kel quickly found openings to weave her sword into. Finally she succeeded in disarming him. Looking around she saw that Alex and George had dealt with their attackers and even Aly stood proudly over a dead Tyran.

Of the five men, only three were left alive. Kel's two were screaming in pain, clutching their cut legs. Alex disposed of them quickly and effectively, but George had managed to subdue his opponent without injuring him, much and was now attempting to question the man. Without warning the man slumped, dead.

George cursed colourfully,

'Suicide charm,' he muttered angrily, 'Let's go.'

And the four of them climbed out of the window, escaping into the cool night air.

'Don't tell your mother that we were involved in a fight,' said George seriously, 'she'd kill me, I told her we were visiting an old friend to pick up a package.'

'If you don't tell her that I climbed up onto the roof of a three storey building and down a chimney,' countered Aly.

'Deal,' they both said simultaneously and George slung an arm around his only daughter's shoulders in a hug.

* * *

**(-a/n-** Omigosh! Yay! It's officially my birthday 00.01 am!! Please review, I've been working on this for **hours! **;D )

**Confusedknight xx**


	17. The bigger picture

**(-a/n-Hello All! **Oops I left the bold thingy whatsit on…Ah well ;D Wowee! I have over 500 reviews! 500!!!!! I'm so insanely happy :D That coupled with the half a tub of Ben and Jerrys ice cream that I've just eaten, life is looking very good at the moment! I've also found some more great music for some later chapters. You've know idea how much fun I'm finding writing this :D It's also an amazing cure for boredom…let me explain…anytime I feel bored I just think of this fic and my brain goes into overdrive with plot twists and ideas for this story :D lol. I also find myself suddenly getting up in the middle of breakfast to go and check the age of Cleon say, and this morning at 2am I woke up and thought…actually I won't tell you what I thought, it would ruin the surprise… I've also been listening to Fallen relentlessly…I think the play count stands at 455! Lol. I'm obsessed…it's official. Still it's all worth it when I read the fabulous reviews :D

My second point to this author's note is a thought that struck me the other day…Probably about half of you live in America, that's like half the way around the world and yet you can still read what I write and review etc.! I mean half the way around the world! That's a hell of a long way away!...well I thought it was amazing! I do so love the internet, more specifically :D

Purely out of interest it would be great to hear on which side of the globe my reviewers live…lol…Anyone live anywhere out of UK and USA?

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx** Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! –Dances happily- ! You leave such nice reviews :D –gives reviewer a chocolate brownie- :D

**the. dead. addict.**Thanks!

**Eclipsa**That's good, I don't like my stories getting predictable :D hehehe, got to keep you all on your toes. Yep I had a fab b-day, thanks for reviewing ;D

**Anonymous **Is this nativewildmage? Lol sorry if it's not, thanks anyway ;D

**BlackWidow12**Thanks, I had a wicked b-day! Hehehe, you are indeed a loyal reviewer! –hands over a shiny golden badge with loyal reviewer engraved upon it- :P

**Golden23**Yeah, Kel was good at the Shang moves…but not Shang in particular, just self-defense type things. Thanks for reviewing, I've just eaten a bowl of ice cream, or rather half a tub! Mmm, Ben & Jerrys :D

**Yabberli**hehe, I don't mind fangirl squeals :D Yeah it was so fun, but it did take hours… I know I'm rubbish at underwater Frisbee, it always seems to slope up or down…Thanks I had a lovely b-day, I ate so much chocolate :D

**theknightofkonaha**nope, I have to wait another year to drive in the UK, you have to be seventeen. Which is a shame :( Lol. Anyway thanks for reviewing :D

**Erynfaer**Yep! I know I love reading you can procrastinate all homework and jobs for hours if you've got something good to read. I do like to try to included different characters in my fics, I think that bringing in characters which we already know, like Aly, George, Fanche etc. make it more realistic and probable more interesting than tons of new characters.

**Hasamaki**Yep, I sure did pig out, I'm going to have to be rolled back to school, I don't think I'll fit in the bus anymore…hehe, joking :D My fingers are going to burn off fat as I type up this chapter! The new way to beat obesity; typing! Lol hehehe (sorry I'm in a slightly strange mood as I've just eaten half a tub of ice cream ;D ) Thanks for reviewing.

**SavingSaturn**I love George and Aly too, I'm currently re-reading Tricksters Choice (yet again) :P I'm not sure how soon, soon will be, but you will get answers eventually :P

**Me **Thanks!

**Sarra's wildchild**Thanks!

**Elentariel**No, Kel's not going to meet Alanna (yet) …

**I love Fallen! **Hehehe, I have a great many things up my sleeve ;D My arm for one…lol I would love to sit here typing until I've finished this story but unfortunately life gets in the way… still I hope you won't have to wait too long for some answers ;D

**Asf **Thanks!

**SaphirePhoenix**Yeha! I always wanted them to meet and get on, although Aly doesn't know who Kel is…Thanks for reviewing ;D

**Erytha**hehe, I try to keep in with Canon, except for the whole Kel getting kicked out thing! lol which does form quite a large part of my fic, but anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it, thanks as always for reviewing ;D

**manicpony24**sixteen! Practically a pensioner! Lol, joking.

**queenoftheostlers**lol, I know, I always think, yes it's the holidays I can update loads, but I, or rather my mum, seems to find things for me to do…I hope you're having fun on your riding holiday :D

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**Michi **Thanks!

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**Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**lol. Yep, I've been re-reading Tricksters (again) which prompted me to have a situation which they had to fight their way out of. Well done for picking that up! Hehe. I don't know how I get so many reviews; there are just lots of lovely people out there! –hugs all reviewers-

**truffletruffle01**Thanks!

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**ella plain and simple**Thanks!

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**bookworm-4-ever2012**teeheehee thanks ;D

**JaBoyYa**No, Alex is my own character.

**rosie **lol, I like the Oliver Twist accent ! teehee, thanks for reviewing :D

**LadyKnightSusan**There will be many a fluffy scene in the future, never fear. Thanks for reviewing :)

**brezzybrez**Kel's not going to meet Alanna…yet…

**katiebug123**Okay I'll be more careful. Yeah, originally I hadn't included Aly in the great scheme of things but as I re-read Tricksters I noticed how it mentioned her having to fight her way out of several situations with her Dad, which got the cogs whirring in my brain…Thanks for reviewing ;D

**On top of cloud 9**Thanks!

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**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**ooh…um tenth grade? Gah… this is confusing…I'm in year eleven in the UK, wait let me check…according to a site I just found, yes I am in Tenth grade. Hehehe. Does the American school year start in September? Thanks for being an ever-faithful reviewer!

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**Confusedknight xxx**

**

* * *

**

Alex collected Prince from the stable and George and Aly also led their mounts away. When they were outside the village, they all mounted up, Kel sitting in front of Alex; Prince being able to bear both of their weights with ease.

Despite the fact that it was pitch black, the moon shone down illuminating the landscape around them as they cantered away from the village. After about twenty minutes George signalled for them to halt and dismount. He led them down a path, away from the roadside to a small pond which glinted eerily in the moonlight.

They had hardly spoken at all as they'd departed from the village, each lost in their own thoughts. But now George made it clear that he wanted answers.

'Okay…so my daughter is found up a chimney; that doesn't bother me, I'm far too used to her antics,' drawled George. 'But when a girl is with her, one whom I know nothing about, listening in to a meeting between myself and one of my top agents, then I wonder what exactly is going on.' He turned to Alex, 'You obviously know her, but what is she doing travelling with you when you're meant to be working?'

Alex sighed, he'd hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this, but fate had deemed otherwise.

'She's going to be working for me,' he said.

George's hazel eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Kel.

'She hasn't been trained-,' began George, but Alex cut across him.

'George I can't run things single-handedly in Scanra. To glean all the information I need I would need at least thirty agents. Thirty which I know we don't have. I know that you've got your agents with the clans, but it takes years to plant them there so I know how difficult it is to get more spies in. Not to mention the fact that very little of their information ever seems to find me.

I need help. I have to keep myself at a distance from Maggur, I have to move around, meet with different people from all over the cities and classes. But to have Kel there stationed as a maid or a slave, amongst other workers, the information she could ferret out would be a tremendous help. It doesn't have to be complicated spying, just a poke or a prod here and that would do it. Kel can look after herself, you saw how she dealt with the Tyrans.' Alex sighed and sat down, motioning that the others should do so too.

'Maggur is clever George. Far cleverer than any other threat you've had to deal with for a long time. He is careful, he is discreet and he doesn't make mistakes. He moves slowly, far too slowly for anyone to recognise until he has solidified his position. He is worming his way, inching towards his final goal. He drives wedges between allies, breaking down centuries of comradeship between some of the more powerful clans. He has a very small force of devoted agents, he doesn't trust others and his army is growing every day. Tortall could be looking at a serious threat in five years or so from now, a big enough threat to go to war against.'

'If Maggur is this clever, then why don't we kill him and be done with it?' demanded Aly. 'If he is the brain behind it all then surely once he is removed then their plans will fall to pieces.'

George shook his head, 'It's not as simple as that.'

'Maggur is a very tricky man to pin down,' confirmed Alex, 'He's always on the move, accompanied by his loyal guards. But there's no way of knowing that if you did kill him, another would not step into his place. Ideally the only way of preventing blood-shed is in an alliance, but that won't happen until Scanra is united under one banner, and I fear when that happens a state of open war-fare will be declared.'

'So what can we do?' asked Kel, her voice quiet but steady.

'Infuriatingly little,' said George, 'My agents keep me informed on his movements and I can tell the King to start saving the royal treasury as war seems imminent. But these things can't be let out, in keeping things quiet, with only a select few of his Majesty's friends knowing, then we can quietly arm up. And just when the enemy thinks they are going to surprise us-'

'We are in fact ready for war,' finished Alex grimly.

'So is that what you've been doing?' asked Kel, 'Keeping an eye on the situation?'

'Amongst other things,' replied Alex.

'Alex is one of my special agents,' said George, 'I said there was little that could be done, but there is still some things that can be done to hinder our enemy.' By now George seemed to have accepted that Kel was going with Alex into Scanra.

'If you're going to be working with Alex then you need to know the full picture,' said George, 'Right from the beginning.' George glanced up at Alex, who sat oddly stiff, staring out into the night.

'Four years ago Maggur was a nobody, an insignificant commoner who had recently risen to captaining a private group of soldiers working for Birtrus, a Scanran Clan Chief. One day Birtrus died, whether by accident or foul-play, but he died.

Naturally Birtrus' eldest son took over from him and still only a young man of nineteen, he turned to Maggur for help. Maggur saw his chance and took it. For months Maggur whispered poison into his ear until all the young man saw was plots against his power. The young man turned against his own family, convinced that they were seeking to overthrow him.

Maggur watched as the young man murdered his family, one-by-one, in the dead of night. He killed his mother, two sisters and fiancée before turning on his ten-year-old brother. The ten-year-old's dying screams awoke his other brother. The middle brother, only just seventeen years of age, rushed in to find his eldest brother standing over the body of the young boy. Then the deranged man set upon the one remaining brother; however the middle brother managed to overpower the elder and kill him.

Maggur, being the piece of filth that he was, told the entire clan that the middle brother had murdered his family, a story which was backed up by his loyal servants. The seventeen-year-old fled for his life, hunted for crimes he didn't commit.

Meanwhile Maggur consoled the grieving clans-people and took over the leadership for himself. It was quite a large clan to begin with but since gaining control of it, he has gradually been building it up and developing an army of his own. His clansmen are trained in the art of war. His most loyal advisor Stenmun is in charge of the army, a seven-foot giant who has quickly whipped the men into shape.'

'Doesn't anyone notice if Maggur is building up a bloody great army?' asked Aly ludicrously.

George raised his eyebrows at Aly's choice of language, but continued with his story.

'All the clans have armies, Maggur's is just well-trained. The thing with Maggur is that he moves slowly, so people tend not to notice him. He carefully plants information within fellow clans, creating suspicion between them and the others. He picks on one clan at a time, making them feel like they are about to be attacked by a different clan, then he offers them an alliance; protection. He pays his soldiers well, earning their loyalty. Without their soldiers the old clan chiefs have no power, and simply become minor advisors in his ever growing clan.

Every now and again he has to take a clan by brute force, but the battles are usually short-lived. A well-trained army is no match for villagers wielding axes. So now he seeks to earn the loyalty of the clans closest to Hamrkeng, I'd say it would be his eventual plan to make himself the overlord, if not King of Scanra.'

'Surely someone will stand up to him?' asked Kel, 'From what we hear, the Scanran clans are always fighting, and there's an awful lot of them to bring under one banner.'

Alex sighed, and spoke for the first time in several minutes.

'And that's where Maggur's genius lies. He creates suspicion and rumour on a scale that's never been seen before in Scanra. At the moment none of the clans trust each other.'

'And they all run to Maggur for protection,' Kel whistled, finally understanding. 'So what can we be doing to slow the inevitable?'

'Alex has been busy planting false rumours all over the place, making sure that there's nasty rumours about Maggur flying around too. It's all about delaying. Every week that we delay is a week that Tortall becomes more prepared. Of course none of the citizens are aware. Fortresses are being re-built slowly _to provide the soldiers with more suitable lodgings_. The armies are recruiting and training more and more soldiers as _the Immortals might return. _Things are slowly clicking into place although only a few people realise it.'

'What I've been doing recently,' said Alex, 'Is trying to ferret out Maggur's spies in the clans, to kill them before their whispered poison gets to work in the way it did originally.' Kel nodded, understanding.

'So what sort of information am I going to be looking out for?' asked Kel.

George shrugged, 'Hints about Maggur's plans, or who his informants might be in that particular clan, general titbits of information, anything that might help Alex.'

'As fascinating as this conversation is, do you think we could discuss such matters at more sociable hour?' asked Aly with a yawn. 'Da are we staying here tonight?'

'I think it's a safe enough place,' said George looking around.

'Who were those Tyrans that came after you earlier?' asked Alex as he unpacked the tent.

'Some old acquaintances, the usual, nothing to worry about…' George evaded the subject. 'What I do want to know is how they managed to find out which village I'd come to…' he trailed off, also beginning to unpack his tent.

Within minutes they were all fast asleep, weapons close-by, just in case.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and early, seemingly only minutes after Kel had gone to sleep. She groaned and sat up, pushing her messy, tangled hair out of her face and blinking sleepily. Alex, as usual was already up, talking quietly to George. Aly was sitting by the pond and as Kel left the tent Aly beckoned her over.

Kel was still wearing the same grubby shirt and breeches that she'd been wearing the previous night, but her feet were bare. The two girls dangled their feet in the cool water, ripples spreading out across the pond's smooth surface.

'We're going back home today,' said Aly glumly.

'Home?' questioned Kel, acting the ignorant commoner.

'Pirate's swoop,' said Aly. 'I just know that Mother will have something lined up for me to do and you can bet on Mithros that it will be boring. You see I'm nine years old and she feels that I must be deciding my way in life. I don't have the gift so that rules out being a healer or a Palace mage and I couldn't imagine anything worse than going to the Convent. Most people feel that I should follow in my mother's footsteps, but I don't want to become a knight.' Aly's eyes sparkled, 'What I really want to be is a spy…but I haven't mentioned that one to her yet, she would just explode.'

Aly looked sideways at her companion. 'You're so lucky, not being noble-born. No one expects you to do very much with your life, but I'm surrounded by heroes and famous people and they all seem to expect me to live up to all that,' Aly said sorrowfully.

Kel said nothing, glancing out across the water, not voicing her true feelings that Aly could have her place any day. Kicked out, exiled to the convent, raped, almost dying from exposure, working on a farm, starving and now with the prospect of an equally dangerous and hard life as a spy, Kel felt that Aly's relatively cushy existence really wasn't a cause for concern.

'This is going to sound so horrible,' sighed Aly, 'But now that Mother has fallen out with the King she's at home so much more and she always wants me to be _doing _something, rather than sitting around and flirting with the village boys.' She grinned wickedly at Kel, 'It's such an amusing past-time, especially once they start fighting over you.'

But Kel wasn't interested in Aly's tales of flirtatious afternoons spent at Pirates swoop.

'The Lioness had an argument with the King?' Kel asked, shocked.

'Didn't you know? I would've thought they heard her shouting in Carthak!' Aly rolled her eyes, 'Yes, you know the girl who tried for knighthood, the one from Mindelan. Well she was made to leave and Mother was _not _happy. She was still angry over the girl being put on probation, but when she heard that the girl had been made to leave she jumped on her horse, galloped off to the city and from what I heard, burst into the throne room, sword-in-hand and told the King exactly what she thought of him.'

'I had heard about the Lioness' temper,' said Kel absent-mindedly.

'Whatever you've heard, it's an understatement, only once you've been on the receiving end of one of her rants can you truly understand-' but Aly's vehement assurances about Alanna's irritability were cut short as her father called her over to start cooking breakfast.

Alex suggested to Kel that they should start their morning routines as was proper. So as Aly cooked the breakfast, half-supervised by George, who sat absorbed in his own thoughts, Alex and Kel began to stretch thoroughly.

Kel was surprised at how much difference her new lifestyle was making. Already her joints were far suppler than they had ever been before. She felt physically fit and also a lot happier mentally since joining Alex. He had given her life purpose again.

They didn't have time to go through all of Kel's exercises, so instead they concentrated on a series of complex blocks, Kel switching her sword between her left and right hands regularly. Wielding the sword with her left hand still felt slightly odd, although it was becoming more and more natural each time she used it. Kel just needed to build up the strength and skill of her left arm to match the right one.

Aly gave them a two minute warning before breakfast and switching her sword back into her right hand, Kel and Alex began a practise free-duel, one in which they could use any form of defence or attack, not just the ones which they had been practising.

Alex was a good teacher and Kel had learnt a lot of the ten days or so in which she had been training. Despite this, Alex was still by far the better swordsman and it didn't take him long to disarm her. Kel however was pleased. If Alex was fighting at his highest standard he could usually disarm her in about fifteen seconds, to last a minute and a half had to be a personal best for her.

They ate breakfast, Alex grimacing at the taste. George noticed and laughed.

'If you think this is bad you should have tried some of the meals Alanna used to cook. It must be hereditary.'

Aly scowled at her father and hit him playfully on the arm.

Once everything had been packed up, Kel and Aly said their goodbyes both expressing a wish to meet each other again at some point. Aly said good luck to Kel and they departed, Kel thinking wistfully of all the people whom she had now promised to meet again. _But I've got to survive the next few years _she thought, _I'll concentrate on that first. _Thinking of her past would only distract her.

* * *

They travelled Northwards at an alarming pace, Kel somehow managing to learn more over the next eight days than she felt she had ever done before. Each night she went to bed exhausted mentally and physically. Every spare moment was dedicated to a lesson of some sort and Kel, understanding how essential it was that she master the techniques Alex was teaching her, before they entered enemy country, threw herself at the task with an energy that surprised even herself.

Kel's most current project was learning how to build a successful Liar's Palace, one which would survive basic truth spells. It involved building a mental place in her head which she could retreat to if she was questioned. From that 'place' she could lie about whatever she wanted, fooling questioners.

Kel had learnt so much about Scanra from Alex that she was actually looking forward to being inside the country which she'd heard so much about. As a Tortallan, she had been under the impression that the Scanran's were a 'barbaric people', (although she didn't say this to Alex as she had a suspicion that he was a Scanran by birth.) Alex had quickly taught her differently, explaining the complexities of the clans.

'Scanra is a huge country, bigger than Tortall or Carthak, although much of it is open wasteland. The first people that settled there were nomadic, travelling in clans one-hundred strong, staying wherever they fancied. In modern day Scanra, most of the clans have settled down, building villages towns and even cities.

Hamrkeng is the Scanran Capital, and it's huge. You'll have never seen anything like it. It's far bigger than Corus and the City of the Gods put together. It's a neutral ground, in other words it doesn't belong to any particular clan.

The clans and their territories is quiet a lot like the Nobles and fiefs that you have in Tortall,' said Alex. 'Although some clans will move around still or shift their base. As I said before, Scanra is a huge; there are many parts of the country which aren't currently claimed by the clans. But it's always changing clans will move to claim new areas because there is good wood or farmland, or something which can be utilised by the clan.'

'So the clans are slightly nomadic nobles and their subjects, but with fiefs that change and move?' surmised Kel.

Alex nodded, 'But one of the main differences between Tortall and Scanra is that Tortall has a monarchy and a fairly good justice system. The Scanran Clan Chiefs answer to no one, in their clan their word is law. That's why there are so many battles among the clans, because each Clan Chief fears that his neighbour is more powerful than he is. So they try to destroy the neighbouring clans before they get too big.'

* * *

Each day they rode they neared the Scanran border. One morning Alex visited a village shop to buy a handful of herbs. When he got back to their camp he mixed the herbs in boiling water, creating a sticky gloop with a strong smell. He had then proceeded to smear the gloop all over Kel's hair, instructing her to leave it in all day so that the sun could work on it. In the evening Kel found a river and washed her shoulder-length hair thoroughly.

When her hair dried it was several tones lighter. It was no where near as fair as the true Scanran's but it wasn't the same brown that it had been before. Instead it was a compromise, a sort of blondish/brown colour that would help her to blend in more.

That evening, upon the completion of their exercises Alex announced that they would have to give Kel a new name, as 'Kel' was not a common name in Scanra. In the end they agreed on 'Lia'.

Kel was inwardly relieved upon taking on a new name. The incident with George could've ruined everything. Kel knew that it was unlikely that anyone would link the peasant girl 'Kel' with Lady Keladry of Mindelan, but becoming 'Lia' would certainly put her mind at rest on that score.

Just before she went to bed Alex told her further details of his plan.

'We're almost at the border now, within three days we'll be in Scanra. Tomorrow evening we're going to stop in a town just north of Mindelan and I'm going to give you a chance to spy around for a bit, a trial run if you like. I'll set you some targets and you've got to see how much information you can find out about them in one evening.'

At the word 'Mindelan' Kel's heart froze, _breathe, _she thought _act normal, you'll only be passing by. _

* * *

It took all of Kel's self control to keep her face emotionless and her tone of conversation light as she rode through the familiar landscape. She tried to act normal, but the knowledge that her home fief was so close, bought back all sorts of memories which she struggled to push aside.

Kel saw Alex giving her some strange looks, but after midday they were moving further away from Mindelan and Kel calmed down enough to concentrate on the task that lay ahead of her.

As the afternoon wore on, they came down a hill, approaching a small settlement.

'Wait here,' Alex instructed her, handing her Prince's reins and disappearing out of sight.

He returned twenty minutes later, slightly sweaty but grinning.

'A group of the King's soldiers are travelling through. Just find out as much information about them as you can.'

Kel decided that first she would scout around and see where the soldiers were staying, how many of them there were and who seemed to be in charge of them.

Kel pulled on a worn skirt over her breeches, let down her hair and unrolled her sleeves. She wiped some dirt onto her face, and tucked a flower into her hair for good measure. To one of the soldiers she'd look like a young village girl. Kel was pleased at that moment that she was small, scrawny and without a womanly shape, so she wouldn't be attracting any of _that _kind of unwanted attention. She had six daggers concealed upon her person, but she wasn't planning to have to use them. _Best to attract minimal attention, _she thought and with that thought firmly lodged in her mind she entered the village.

She could see soldiers coming down the road, their elegant horses creating clouds of dust as they came ever nearer. Kel stationed herself on a bank next to the Inn and set about making a chain of daisies. Though her fingers were deft and nimble, she was barely concentrating on the task in her hands. Every nerve in her body was thrumming lightly, but over-riding all of her nerves was an powerful rush of excitement, _she could do this, she would show Alex what she was capable of! _

She glanced up, shading her eyes against the sun and she realised that the soldiers were closer than she thought. They rode into the village looking hot, sweaty and at ease with life. Kel counted twelve horses; it seemed to be an ordinary squad of soldiers from the King's army, led by a Knight and what seemed to be a Squire.

A chubby innkeeper rushed out of the building to greet the soldiers. The Knight dismounted and handed the reins of his horses to his tall, red-headed Squire. As he stepped forward Kel's heart missed a beat.

It was Sir Inness of Mindelan, her brother and if Kel was not very much mistaken his tall, red-headed Squire was none other than Cleon of Kennan.

Kel's hands shook, tearing the daisy chain as she asked herself the age old question:

_Why couldn't anything in life ever be simple?_

_

* * *

_

**(-a/n**_- _A cliffie! I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to leave it in this way but this is a rather long chapter, and there is more of this little escapade to come, so think of it as part I of a chapter. I also had to include a lot of information on Scanra so that things in future chapters will make sense. So now you know what Kel's going to be doing for the next few years :D Please review :D I would love to hear what you think (and also what country you're from –see the a/n at the start of the chapter- …)

**Confusedknight xxx**


	18. Eyeopener

**(-a/n-** I'm so, so, so, so sorry about the late update, I don't know where the week has gone, but it has flown past so quickly. This chapter was actually completed about three days ago, but I've had mega problems trying to upload this...But someone very kind explained how you can bypass uploading the document by exporting a previous chapter and then copying the new chapter in :D

When reading your reviews, I was surprised to see that the majority of you are from the USA…although now I think about it; Tamora Pierce is an American author, so that would make sense. I was so thrilled to see how spread out all the reviewers are; all over the USA, Canada, Australia, Scotland, England etc. It really is fantastic that I can write and you can read my writing from wherever you live, many miles away! So thanks for helping with my investigation :D

As always thanks for the massive review response, the reviews for the last chapter surpassed my previous record by quite a bit :D so thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm also having to re-do the review answer format as it is taking up too much space each chapter.

**Hasamaki, **SaphirePhoenix**, On top of cloud 9, **LadyKnightSusan**, epobbp, **padfootsposse04**, Geminia, **I love Fallen!**, Bertie Botts, **waterdancer15**, elvenwarriorgirl, **Eclipsa**, Elentariel, **Nyleve**, BubbleGumEcstasy, **rootless californian**, after.a.hard.day, **Sarra's wildchild**, Erytha, **nativewildmage**, Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm, **Justanotheraddiction**, Lady Highschoolnerd, **Cat in a box**, ella plain and simple, **bookworm-4-ever2012**, fjk, **BlackWidow12,** Dom-Basher CHAMPION, **Lady Sapphirea**, The Sherberty Lemon, **Grace of Masbolle**, ShangWarrior, **the. dead. addict.**, Miss Violet Purple, **Rosie**, All Hail Books, **Mrs. Dom Masbolle,** Evil Bunny of Death, **Aly the Spy**, youdontwant2no, **insane . . . i don't think ...**, InkblotTheDarking, **Brokenflamesrebel**brezzybrez**truffletruffle01, **SeriousPiper, **Golden Pantha & **Katiebug123. **

**THANK YOU all so much, all reviewers listed above, I absolutely loved ALL your reviews. But there are so many to answer to, it didn't make sense me writing 'Thanks :D' every time, so from now on I'm going do it in this new format which takes up less space. All those below, are separate because they asked me a question which I'm going to answer. I hope you don't mind the new format, the only other option was replying to all your reviews through the email-thingy, but I prefer to do it this way as everyone can see the wonderfully nice people who review! (P.s. The bold-**normal-**bold is just so that you can read it easier.) Once again thanks to all the people listed above, you really are very nice people ;D **

**SarahE7191 **Kel has just turned twelve, because she's quite young for her year. But Cleon was two years older than her, and in 'Page' it said that he was made a Squire in May.

**Yabberli **Yes, the west coast is very, very, very far away! I'm glad that you didn't mind all the explanation ;D

**Covered Clouds **Really? Lots of boats? I live on the coast too, but the English coast isn't that spectacular…lol. I went swimming in the sea today, it was absolutely FREEZING! Gah. My hands went purple, but it was fun anyway.

**Pie of Doomeh **I live on the south coast of the UK. I've only really been to France though…lol. I have never been to USA though, but I am in October!!!! I'm so excited; we're doing another music tour to Vancouver and San Francisco!

**JaBoyYa **As a reader I don't like cliffies at all! Lol, which is why I always feel guilty when I write them, but they are such lovely things to write ;P

**SavingSaturn **Yeah, it's strange because some parts of the plot I've had planned for months even before I started writing, but others simply jump into my head at unnatural times (the idea of Cleon being in the North with Inness on border patrol being one of them!)

**theknightofkonaha **cool! Is your boarding school far from where you live? Our school has boarders but I don't board.

**Golden23 **Really? Did you enjoy being in London? It must be so cool to experience a different schooling system! I would be really scared though if I ever went to school abroad!

**Erynfaer** Ooh! I'm going to Canada in October, I'm so excited! It's part of a music tour, but I've never been to USA or Canada before, so I can't wait! Do you get loads of snow where you live? I saw some pictures which my cousin took (she went to live there for a year) and I was so jealous seeing all the snow she had!

**Me **Don't worry I'm not going to stalk you or anything lol, no I just thought it would be interesting to know. Because it is so amazing that you can all read my fics and stuff even though you live thousands of miles away from me!

**CIRPG **The smallest state? Hmm… American States confuse my English brain! Lol. I'll look on Google… Rhode Island? Wherever that may be :D

**alynawatlovers **hehehe, nope, Neal and Kel aren't destined to meet yet, you'll have to wait a while for that!

**queenoftheostlers **You are officially mad…what were you doing in a hobo house anyway?...You should've bought your poor cousin a new egg…lol. Anyway I shall see you soon :D Are you coming to the restaurant on Monday? (If you are then I'll see ya then).

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx **Hehehe, on the topic of brownies, my Mum made such yummy, yummy choccy ones for easter :D I adore brownies :D Ah well I don't mind, I can hardly talk as I'm so bad at getting distracted nowadays, it is so easy to just start reading something else when I'm meant to be revising…-sighs-…:D

**oirishgoddess **lol, I can imagine the Charleston costume! Hehee :D So where did you live before the UK? I've only ever lived in the same town, same house. Lol ;D

**Kathy **I'm going along with the idea that as it was a completely chance meeting, and Kel is Tortallan…that they wouldn't think Scanra to use a child. Also as Scanra has no main monarchy each clan would have to have spies…gah it gets complicated. They are accepting her because the situation in Scanra is desperate and because she's not really being trusted with many secrets anyway…

**SlytherinScholar **Thanks, yeah I live on the south coast of England :D

**Hyperbookworm **yay! Two reviews :P I know the song is awesome! You see how much it is possible to love that song and even base a whole fic on it!?! Hehee, I've listened to it soooo much, it's crazy :D Anyways I'm glad that someone else is obsessed too :D

**mangolady **Thanks, yeah Kel is going to have some interesting escapades in Scanra, it's going to be completely different to how she could've imagined and hopefully you'll all like it :D Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see what I can do.

**Confusedknight xx **

**

* * *

**

Kel sat, frozen in place her head bowed, desperately trying to come up with a plan of action. She couldn't be seen by either Cleon or Inness right now. With a bit of disguise she could probably fool Inness, whom she hadn't seen for years, but Cleon had seen her less than a year ago, how much had she changed since then?

It took a while for all the men to dismount, and Kel sat idly, acting every inch the innocent village girl, picking daisies for her necklace. A hostler came from the stables to take the horses away and the twelve men entered the pub talking amiably among themselves.

When the last soldier disappeared, Kel got up and wandered up the road. When she was finally out of sight of the village, she ran back to where Alex was sitting.

'Back so soon?' he asked in Scanran, grinning.

'Change of plan,' Kel replied, also in Scanran.

'You had a plan to begin with?' joked Alex, feigning a look surprise.

Kel stuck her tongue out, in a most un-Kel-like way and switching back to Common said, 'There are twelve soldiers. Ten form an ordinary squad in the army; just the regular army and not the King's Own. There is a Sergeant in that squad, but leading the group is Sir Inness of Mindelan and his Squire Cleon of Kennan.'

Alex said nothing as his young charge reported the information back to him. He wondered though, how did she know the exact titles of the Knight and Squire, just from sitting on the bank? From where Alex had been watching, she'd been quite a way away, far enough away not to overhear the conversation. He decided not to press the matter further, but instead filed it away as another 'mystery' that he would one day hope to get to the bottom of.

Kel meanwhile was busy. At a village that they had travelled through Alex had stopped in at some houses to buy Kel some second-hand clothes. It was this bag which Kel was now rummaging through. She pulled out a worn, grubby shift and a brown dress. The brown dress came down to just below Kel's knees and the top half was styled almost like a pinafore. It was perfect, old and slightly too short for Kel, it would give the impression of a peasant girl who had had to wear the dress for several years already.

She rubbed the shift and dress on the dusty ground for a few seconds and then finally she pulled of her shoes and removed the flower from her hair.

'Can I have a couple of copper nobles and a headscarf?' Kel questioned.

Alex fished her out two copper nobles, which Kel carefully hid upon her person, and searched for something which Kel could use as a headscarf. Once Alex had found a suitable piece of material she gathered up the pile of clothes and headed a little way into the trees so she could change into her shift and dress. She tucked the headscarf into her dress for now and returned to Alex.

Suddenly an idea came to her. Kel reached into the bag where Alex kept all his medicines and herbs. She carefully lifted out a small pouch of berries, crushing one between her forefinger and thumb, Kel rubbed the juice around her left eye. Looking at her reflection in a small mirror, Kel smiled as she saw that her eye now looked as it has, on the day when she had first come to the Palace; black and bruised.

Finally she removed her Yamani 'lucky-cat' necklace, for one of the first times since she's left the Convent. It had been the only thing apart from her sword that Kel had left from her previous 'life' and over the months it had become almost part of Kel, a reminder that she had never, and would never give up.

Now however, it would not do for it to be spotted when she went to play 'the starving peasant girl.'

'Can you look after this for me?' asked Kel, her small hazel eyes fixed upon his own. She held out a small, calloused hand and deposited a silver chain upon his hand. There was a strange cat charm hanging on the chain and Alex remembered seeing it once before, the night when they had met and he'd tended to Kel's back.

Alex nodded and stowed the small item in a pouch which was hidden inside his clothes, containing all of his valuable items, spy codes and expensive money.

'Are you going to stay here all night?' she asked.

He shook his head, 'I'm going to ride over to a different town, and leave you a free rein. I'll meet you here in the morning, when the sun rises.'

'Okay, I'll see you then,' and without looking back she set off down the hill, determined as ever.

Kel knew that the next few hours would be vitally important. She had to convince Alex that she was competent enough to be taken into Scanra. If she managed this task then she would disappear into Scanra for the next few years. However it would be disastrous if either Cleon or Inness recognised her; she simply wasn't ready to face her past yet.

Kel took up her position at the side of the Inn. She was looking out over the back yard and stables of the Inn. If Kel wasn't very much mistaken, as soon as the soldiers had had a drink and been shown rooms for the evening, they would come outside to tend their mounts, collect their saddle bags and then probably spend the rest of the afternoon sparring or relaxing in the summer sun.

True to Kel's predictions the men did exactly that and Kel was perfectly placed to watch it all. No one glanced twice at the dirty, skinny, ragged girl who sat in the dust. To Kel's delight, several of the village kids appeared from inside their small, poorly-built houses. Almost as dirty and shabby-looking as Kel was, they recognised a newcomer immediately.

'Ain't seen you 'round 'ere before,' said the tallest and most confident of the group.

'That's 'cause I only been 'ere a day, I'm travellin' through,' replied Kel in a perfect match of their accent. (One of Alex's lessons had been that if you used an accent that a person would be familiar with, you were far less likely to create suspicion.)

'I'm Kirsten,' said the tall, bossy girl, 'This 'ere is me brother Thomas, that's Shona and the little runt there's Kit. He 'ain't got no home but sometimes Ma lets 'im come home with us.'

'Lia,' Kel introduced herself as she stood up, ''ave you seen 'em soldiers, they's only just arrived.'

The four children looked up with interest.

'Ma said she saws 'em comin' in,' said the little black-haired Thomas.

The four children and Kel climbed onto the yard fence, watching the soldiers curiously. The soldiers were apparently used to being gawped at and paid them no notice; it was perfect. Kel was close enough to hear their conversation and she blended in well with the others.

Watching the soldiers sparring against each other Kel noted how sloppy and awkward the moves looked compared to Alex's grace and precision. Her own brother Inness was clearly the best with the sword and Kel found it interesting to watch him in action. She hadn't seen Inness fight properly since before she had left for the Yamani Islands, but she'd heard of his skill. Although he was a good swordsman Kel thought that he relied too heavily on his strength. As Kel's eyes ranged over the sparring men she tried to ignore the red-headed Squire; it bought back too many painful memories of fighting against him herself.

Kel looked round at Kirsten and Thomas, who were sitting either side of her and almost smiled at their wide-open mouths. _I wonder what they would think if they knew that Knight was my brother, and that I can fight better than those soldiers. _Shaking her head; such thoughts were stupid and irrelevant, she listened hard to the soldier's conversation.

Every time a name was mentioned Kel carefully added it onto the list in her head, carefully fixing the details of each in her mind. After an hour or so Kel had learnt more than she had expected she would in such a short time. She knew all but one of their names and their destination. They had ridden from the Capital, with permission to stop in Mindelan for a few days so that Inness could show his new Squire his home fief before heading on to a small Garrison right on the Scanran border.

After about an hour or so the group disbanded, Kirsten and Thomas needing to get back to help their Ma. Shona left a few minutes later, leaving Kit and Kel alone. Kit looked to be about Kel's age, although with both of them it was hard to tell their ages because they were both so skinny.

'So what'cha doin' now?' asked Kit, as they jumped off of the fence.

'I was gonna ask the people at the Inn if I could work for the evening in return for a meal,' said Kel. She knew that it was not unusual for homeless children to offer to do various jobs in return for a meal or shelter.

'Ma'am might let you, 'cause of all the extra guests,' said Kit, 'I usually get some bread or something if I work all evenin'.'

Together they made their way up the steps into the Inn's dingy kitchen.

'Ma'am this is Lia, she's been wonderin' if she can work this evenin' like I do, for a meal. 'Cause with all them soldiers it's gonna be busy tonight…'

'Ma'am', who Kel presumed was the Innkeeper's wife, like nearly all cooks, was large and imposing.

'Let's have a look at you then,' said the woman, pulling Kel forward and examining her with two beady eyes. 'Hmm…alright then, but just for this evening as we're busy. You'll have to wash your hands mind.'

She released Kel who followed Kit over to a stone basin. Together they both scrubbed their hands clean and Kel tied back her hair with her headscarf. Kit had gone to fetch their brooms when suddenly Kel caught sight of herself in the grubby, tarnished full-length mirror that leaned against the wall, next to the sink. It looked completely out of place, as though someone had just dumped it there, but this was not what surprised Kel.

It was her own appearance. Wearing the too small dress made her look skinnier than ever and her arms were really tanned. The 'bruise' drew the attention away from her dreamy hazel eyes and she had a healing cut on her forehead, from where she'd scratched it the week before.

Her hair was completely covered by the headscarf and that coupled with her brown skin, made her look almost foreign. It made her feel a bit more secure; she looked completely different to the Kel who had left the Palace a year ago.

Kit returned and handed Kel a bucket of water and a cloth.

'We've gotta scrub up the back-room for them soldiers,' he said, and Kel followed him out.

Two hours later the back-room was clean, a large table had been laid up for twelve people and slowly the chairs were beginning to fill with the relaxed soldiers.

However Kel was anything from relaxed and scurried back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, trying to keep herself occupied. Fortunately, once the sun had set, the back-room became quite dingy, lit solely by half-melted, drooping candles. It was perfect, if Kel stood back from the table, she doubted whether anyone would be able to make out her face properly.

Once all twelve men had sat down she began to serve up large bowls of delicious-smelling, thick vegetable soup. The bowls of soup were heavy but Kel's hands remained steady as she set the bowls down in front of the soldiers. Her heart thudded in her chest as she served up soup to Cleon but she needn't have worried, he barely cast her a second glance.

Kit however had no such luck, when serving her brother Inness, he slopped the glutinous soup and some landed in the Knight's lap. Kit hurriedly placed the soup on the table and reached for a napkin to soak up the errant liquid. He was rewarded for his mistake with a vicious slap across the face which sent him sprawling to the ground.

He scrambled up and left the room, his hand held protectively over the sore, pink skin. Kel stood frozen with shock. She had never agreed with the way that nobles treated their 'inferiors' but she had always imagined it to be the work of families such as Stone Mountain or Genlith. Never had she thought that Inness could slap a homeless little boy, right across the face just for spilling some soup.

Kel served up the final two bowls of soup, her eyes fixed firmly downwards, not even wanting to look at Inness. Never before had Kel ever felt so ashamed of being noble. What good was it that Inness was good with a sword and spent his days 'protecting' the realm if he couldn't even show courtesy to a village boy.

Kel knew that if it had been one of Anders' sons, even if they'd dropped ten bowls of soup over Inness, they'd never get more than a few harsh words and never physical violence. She hurried back into the kitchen and came face to face with Kit.

The angry red mark left by Inness stood out in stark contrast to the boys pale, drawn face.

'You gotta serve for the evenin',' he said dismally, handing her a jug of wine.

The rest of the evening flashed past, Kel serving all four courses of the meal, never drawing any attention to herself. Her ears however stayed firmly open, picking up all sorts of details about the men. She discovered the name of the tenth soldier; Seth and also plenty more about the assignment they were on and the other squads who were already patrolling in the North.

When the men finally left to go to bed, Kel insisted that she'd tidy up the room for Kit, as she still felt bad about her brother's violence towards him. The Innkeeper's wife shooed them out of her kitchen at twenty minutes to midnight, each with a large hunk of bread and some leftover ham.

Both ate their meal in silence, munching hungrily as neither of them had eaten anything for many hours. Kit led Kel to a barn.

'Lia, we can sleep in 'ere, the farmer don't care.'

Kel settled down in a pile of hay, untied her headscarf and closed her eyes. She was exhausted but for some reason she just couldn't sleep. Her brother's face swam before her eyes, displaying the indifference with which he had slapped Kit.

Since she had left the title of 'Keladry of Mindelan' behind, she'd had remarkably little to do with any nobles and she now worried how ignorant she had been beforehand. She had grown up with her personal beliefs about equality, but she had never realised the truth.

When people spoke about 'commoners', it was sometimes clearly evident that they regarded them as inferior beings, but Kel had never realised how people exercised their beliefs. Inness had slapped a young boy without so much as a blink of an eye, how far off was that from mal-treating and bullying a servant on a regular basis? How far off was that from the likes of Joren? In Kel's opinion, not far enough.

And as she tossed and turned on her soft but itchy bed, she realised how much it bothered her; the treatment of others. Kel had always hated bullying of any form, or the suffering of others, something which not many nobles did and if they did it was to a lesser extent.

Kel rubbed her eyes, desperately wishing she could sleep. Telling herself that there was nothing she could do (yet), Kel promised that when she returned to Tortall, it would be something to fight for. But Kel knew that to change peoples' ways of thinking was difficult. She would have to be someone they either trusted or respected, and then starting with those closest to her, she would have to slowly change their perceptions of other people. It would take a long time, but it would definitely be worth it in the end. With yet another resolution, she lay still listening to Kit's snuffling and waited for sleep to come.

* * *

Rising with the sun, Kel had had barely more than a few hours sleep, and a dark circle ringed the eye that wasn't stained to look bruised. Kit had also woken, though it was near impossible to do anything else with the bright sunlight that was streaming into the barn. That coupled with the noises of the farm's occupants waking up; the soft mooing of cows, bleating sheep and the cockerel's noisy wake-up call, meant that the air was awash with noise and any hope of a few hours more sleep quickly vanished from Kel's mind.

'Don't get much of a lie in 'ere,' he said, grinning blearily at her.

Kel got up, stretching the kinks out of her spine.

'Thanks for gettin' me the job yesterday,' she said, and reaching inside her dress she drew out the two copper nobles.

'Keep these for an emergency,' and she tossed them to him, enjoying the look of disbelief on his face.

'I've never 'ad so much money in all me life,' he said in wonderment. Kel grimaced inwardly; thinking shamefully of the pocket money which she used to be given that was over three times as much as what she had given Kit.

'Well, just spend it wisely yeah? You don't deserve to starve…no one deserves that,' she trailed off.

Kit was still looking at her in amazement and Kel reflected that although it would look slightly suspicious to a stranger; a homeless beggar girl giving money to another homeless waif, but she hoped that Kit had the sense to keep his new found 'wealth' private. Besides, it wasn't as though she would ever return here again.

'I'm goin' now,' said Kel, turning to leave.

'Wait…' he called, and Kel turned around.

Kit crossed the distance between them and without a second's hesitation, grasped her face in his grubby hands and kissed her firmly on the lips. Kel was too shocked to move and after a few seconds Kit pulled away, smiling cheekily.

'Somethin' for the road.'

As Kel walked back up the hill, she reflected upon the strange circumstances in which she had received her first kiss. She would probably never see the boy again, and it had been more a gesture of thanks than anything else, but it had still been her first kiss. Kel suddenly laughed out loud imagining the scandalised expressions that would adorn the faces of the Convent girl's if they had seen Kel then, scantily dressed, half her leg showing and kissing a homeless, dirty boy.

She continued to smile happily, rejoicing in the new day and deciding that she would never forget this day and Kit with his cheeky smile.Aly was right she reflected; kissing can be fun.

Kel also decided later on, once she had reported all the information to Alex and they had begun their journey North again, that her new 'identity' as a commoner gave her much more freedom. She could do things that she wouldn't normally have dared and still get away with them. Kel noted ironically that it was probably this that made peasant people far more easy-going and friendly that the majority of the noble classes.

In her heart she knew that someday she would return to being 'Keladry of Mindelan' but why not enjoy life as it stood now? As much as she knew she would never let her eyes drift for a so much as a second off of her target, Kel made up her mind to make the next few years fun, as well as productive.

And when Kel would look back on her 'Scanran years' in times to come, although there were times and situations which would haunt her forever, there were definitely times when she had thoroughly enjoyed her existence, making the most of the moment.

But now she travelled ever Northwards, unaware that her experiences over the next few years would affect her life forever. She would learn, love, lose, cry, laugh, work and play, though never once forgetting her promises to herself. She would return and when she did it would be with her head held high. She would turn people's heads, she would make a difference.

* * *

**(-a/n- **This is really part II to the previous chapter. Sorry that there isn't all that much action, it's really just Kel gathering her thoughts although she does get her first kiss :P I hope that Kel didn't seem out of character, but I just wanted everyone to be aware that her character will change. Admittedly I'll keep the 'essential' parts, but the situations which she will experience will change her, as they will be vastly different from anything which she saw in the books.

I'm also sorry that it's not very long, but I promise that next chapter Kel will cross into Scanra and her spying adventure will begin. Please review and let me know what you thought :D )

**Confusedknight xxx **


	19. Fraslund

**(-a/n- **I'm going to start this chapter with a massive apology. I'm so sorry about the delayed update, everything seems to have gone slightly mad since I've returned to school. Seriously, French oral, sailing, ball-girling, flute-playing, revision, work experience, it's all just completely overwhelmed me after a lazy Easter break. I'm aiming to keep to my usual update-a-week, but I apologize in advance if I can't keep to that. I have my GCSE's this summer so my life is super hectic and finding four hours to sit down and write a chapter is extremely difficult.

Anyway I shall say only one more thing; thanks again for all the lovely reviews and I hope that this chapter is worth the wait!)

**the. dead. addict.**tsudrats**Brokenflamesrebel**fjk**Erytha**Yamani Lump of an idiot**Hasamaki**Grace of Masbolle**bookworm-4-ever2012**SarahE7191**theknightofkonaha**Golden Pantha,**BlackWidow12**darkjewelledassassin**Stoned Lorikeet**Elentariel**BlameMyMuses**rootless californian**, Kulash, **ella plain and simple**AJHHr12**Mrs. Dom Masbolle**Tsumetai Taiyoukai**SeriousPiper**Pie of Doomeh**InkblotTheDarking**Orohippus**JaBoyYa**insane . . . i don't think ...**Cat in a box,**Waiting To Be Inspired**Me**manicpony24**epobbp**Skyline Romance**Evil Bunny of Death**Aly the Spy**alynawatlovers**On top of cloud 9**queenoftheostlers**AlannaandGeorge4ever**brezzybrez**oirishgoddess**mangolady**Macko**the moon goddess & **truffletruffle01**Miss Violet Purple,** & ****x17SkmBdrchiczxx**

**Yabberli**things are all good over here! We've been having some lovely weather for April :D And on Monday I went sailing and we were capsizing and jumping into the sea and it wasn't that cold…well it was but not THAT cold…considering this was the English channel…lol.

**LadyKnightSusan**Yeah, I always thought that too, but what I really wanted to emphasize was that although he's not a mean person, growing up around nobles Inness has gained the attitude that he can do something like that and it won't matter. It was really to open Kel's eyes to the prejudices and inequality that occur in Tortallan world.

**Erynfaer**So lucky…snow…I KNOW!! I actually cannot wait for HP7 and I know what you mean, I have over-analysed every last snippet of the books looking for some hint as to what may be coming next, but alas, we shall have to wait a bit longer. As for Kit, I wasn't planning on bringing him back in but we'll have to see…

**Confusedknight **Hey! That's my name!! –sticks out tongue- but thanks anyway :D

**I love Fallen! **–sighs sadly- if I was Tamora Pierce then I'd be getting my writings published…alas, still is truly wonderful and I can dream about getting things published in the future…hehehe

**CIRPG or Kiki **I think that I'll show a variety of important and unimportant events to illustrate her 'Scanran years' but it won't be that long…definitely less than 15 chapters…Although that is actually very long, -sighs- we'll have to see…

**Hunchbook**nah…I don't want to be an author for a living, I've always had my heart set on being a Veterinary surgeon and hopefully that dream can become a reality. But I would love to get something published someday. Once I've finished 'Fallen' I think that I'm going to have a shot at writing something of my own, as writing on has given me such great writing experience. Thanks for all the positive comments, I hope you continue to enjoy it :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

At last, several days ride north of Mindelan Kel looked out at a glorious sight. She stood alongside Alex and let her mouth drop open at the fantastic view with which she was presented. They had just topped the last of a series of small hills and had found themselves looking out across at the mouth of the Great Vassa River, which glinted and sparkled like a shiny mirror laid across the valley floor.

In the centre of the Estuary, some way out to sea and surrounded by boats of all kinds stood Fraslund, proud and tall. It was a city whose entire west and southern sides were one giant harbour, encased by a stone wall to protect the boats from the fury of the Emerald Ocean.

It was Tortall's northern harbour city; a thriving island from which fleets of boats were constantly swarming. The city was a centre for trading and exporting goods.

It was the nearest part of the Tortallan coast to the Yamani Islands and Kel had last visited the city when they had returned from the Yamani Isles, scarcely two and a half years previously.

Despite its Scanran name, Fraslund officially belonged to Tortall, many battles having been fought to make it so. But despite this, it was a wonderfully multi-national city where no-one stood out in the vibrancy and colour of so many cultures.

Alex had told Kel that they would only be passing through, before crossing into Scanra but Kel still tingled with the same excitement her four-year-old self had when they were on their way to the Islands for Kel's first sea voyage.

They began to make their way down the hill, Kel trotting after the horse and rider. During the descent she looked to the north of the glittering river where uninhabited, rugged wild land sprawled and twisted. Somewhere, lost in the mess of hills and forest, lay the Scanran border.

Kel knew that the border was only two miles or so north of the Vassa and later on that day, or early tomorrow morning, she would be riding through Scanra. She still wasn't exactly sure of the itinerary for the next couple of days; whether they would be staying overnight in Fraslund or continuing into Scanra. She didn't worry though, she knew that Alex would tell her when she needed to know and not before.

Barely twenty minutes later, they reached a small wooden building at the side of the estuary. Muddy water lapped against the small jetty and a heavily-moustached man came out to greet them.

As he and Alex haggled over the price of a ferry to Fraslund, Kel looked further up the estuary bank and saw that there was a small village, stretched out along the side of the river estuary. Several other boathouses stood, their jetties extending into the river; some with boats moored and others empty.

Alex finally agreed on a price of one silver piece for the stout man to set sail immediately for Fraslund, with Kel, Alex and Prince onboard. His ferry was a small, boat with a dully striped mainsail, jib and spinnaker. The hull was painted green and on the starboard side a name was painted 'Wave dancer'.

Kel wasn't sure why the small boat was named that, to her it looked cumbersome, a hulking, wooden shape bobbing steadily on the swirling water. But she supposed that as long as it could survive a short sail to Fraslund, she didn't really mind.

Alex was trying to persuade Prince to step aboard the boat, but it was to no avail. Kel was startled; Prince was on of the calmest horses she'd ever seen. Alex was whispering in the snorting chestnut's ear, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

The ferryman was readying his boat, and depositing the saddle bags onboard which Kel had taken from Prince's sweaty back, she climbed back onto the jetty to help Alex.

'He never used to be like this,' panted Alex, 'We had a bad sea voyage, a while back and I was…ill and poor Prince was left in a lean-to on deck, absolutely terrified. Since then he can't stand being on water.'

'Let me try,' said Kel. She knew that she was no wildmage like Daine, or even particularly good with horses as Stefan was, but she knew something of fear and taking Prince's reins off of Alex she led the Chestnut off of the jetty and back onto dry land.

When Prince quieted she reached up, curled a small, scarred hand in his mane and gently pulled his magnificent head down to her level. She stared him straight in the eyes, as she had often done with Peachblossom, when he had needed a serious talking-to.

Murmuring softly in Yamani, she maintained eye contact. At first Prince tossed his head, disliking the eye contact, but after a while he quieted, seeing the calm and lack of fear in the depth of Kel's eyes. When Kel felt the muscles in Prince's neck relax, she broke the eye contact, and leading him by her hand twirled in his mane, still murmuring in Yamani.

It didn't matter what language she was speaking, as Prince, having no contact with the Wildmage didn't respond to spoken commands. But the murmuring seemed to sooth the large, nervous horse.

Gently but firmly leading the horse forward she lead him on to the ship and she only released her hold on his mane, when she tethered him onto a post in the bow of the ship.

'Good boy,' she praised, making eye contact again, showing him her lack of fear.

Alex joined them on board a second later, and soon they were moving off, powered by the fresh sea breeze that blew up the estuary, filling the sails.

'Well done little one,' murmured Alex.

'It was nothing,' said Kel truthfully, 'I just had to show him that I wasn't scared of going on board.'

They stood together, staring out at the water that eddied and swirled, catching the sunlight as it rushed past the boat. As they reached the place where sea and river met, the waves swelled violently, salt water mixing with the muddy river water.

Alex motioned that Kel go to reassure Prince, but she shook her head.

'You do it,' she said, 'Do exactly as I did, rebuild that trust. It will take time but in the end…' she trailed off, watching her teacher and friend, silently re-kindling the broken bond of trust between man and beast.

Once they were through the rough patch, the rest of the voyage, was as the expression goes; plain sailing. The ferryman tacked his way around into one of the harbours, skilfully navigating narrow, busy passages. All too soon, (for Kel had been enjoying the sea journey) they were docking and Alex paid the stout little man his promised silver piece, before leading his horse back onto dry land.

As they walked up through the docklands and up into the main market town, Alex pointed out all the different cultures, some of which Kel were familiar with and others who were completely new to her.

There were dark-skinned Raka from the Copper Isles, Carthakis, Tyrans, Marenites, merchants from Tusaine, blonde-haired Scanran children capering about, Tortallans red-faced in the heat of the day, Yamani's their faces blank and dark-haired Gallans. All milling about together, conversing in a mixture of languages and hand signals.

Alex steered Kel into a side-alley and round into a stable yard behind the row of buildings. He stabled Prince, giving him a bucket of oats and a generous helping of hay. He walked in through the back entrance and was promptly swooped down upon by a plump lady with fair hair and beetle black eyes.

'Alexei!' she exclaimed, 'It 'as been too long,' she said in a thick accent.

'Mistress Luhala, it is good to see you too,' he said reverting to Scanran, the woman's native language.

'And who is this pretty girl with you? Come here girl; let me have a look at you. She looks too old to be one of yours,' joked the woman.

'This is Lia,' said Alex, using Kel's alter-name. 'Is the old man home?'

'No, but he'll be back by nightfall,' said the woman, returning to her work at the oven.

Alex seemed to be well acquainted with the woman and his surroundings, making himself at home on the sofa.

'We'll sleep here tonight,' he told Kel, 'but we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning.'

After helping himself to a drink and pouring a glass of water for Kel, Alex suggested that they spend the time constructively. So they headed out into the backyard, out of sight of the busy main street.

Mistress Luhala watched through the window as Alex and Kel went through their complex stretching routines. Kel's limbs were so much more supple that she could now perform the complicated stretching exercises without too much difficulty.

Before starting on swordplay Alex decided to test Kel's reactions. He picked up a broom which leant against the wall of the house and began to swing it at Kel.

Kel had to simply dodge the wooden broom handle for as long as possible. Alex's strikes were always aimed so that she had a chance of dodging them, for example if he performed a left to right sweep Kel could duck or he jabbed the handle forward allowing her to dance out of the way.

After about ten minutes or so, Kel had only been hit twice and they were both now thoroughly warmed up.

'We'll start with the heron's swoop pattern,' instructed Alex as they both drew blades.

Kel started to attack in the aforementioned pattern, her strikes hard and accurate, confident in her knowledge that Alex would block them easily. For now Alex took a defensive stance and Kel simply had to use the same combination of sword strikes over and over again to try to drive him backwards.

Suddenly and without warning Alex attacked, forcing Kel to resume the defensive position. The swords clanged against each other, live weapons in the hands of two people who knew exactly what they were doing.

For the housewife watching at the window it was an incredible display of skill, the swords whirring and meeting in perfectly executed moves.

The point of the exercise was to ensure that the strikes and subsequent blocks were so well-practised that in a free duel the fighters could perform them effortlessly, without thinking.

They fought in silence, each concentrating only upon the other. Every now and again Alex would shout out 'Change,' and Kel would switch her sword into her left hand.

After twenty minutes, both fighters were breathing hard, perspiring in the summer's heat and Alex signalled that they should stop the exercise. After gulping a few mouthfuls of water Alex straightened up, grinning.

'Let's try another free duel,' he said, his eyes challenging.

Kel wiped her sweaty hand on her worn, dusty breeches and flicked her sword into the air. She caught it with a flourish, the hilt landing securely in her palm. A smile flickered across Alex's face; it had been he who had taught her that trick.

The duel started with a surprising intensity. Kel often suspected that Alex held back a little at the beginning to give her a chance, but now Kel was determined to force him to use the full range of his skill.

There were several tight-spots for Kel where her blocks were fractionally late or she had twisted marginally too far, leaving an opening. After seven minutes of the most intense duel Kel had ever fought, Alex managed to snake his sword around hers, wrenching it from her grip.

Kel automatically said, 'I yield,' the customary saying for one who has lost a sword fight and was just about to retrieve her sword when she caught sight of the look in Alex's eyes. Was it pride?

'You fought well today little one,' he praised. 'Many fully trained swordsmen couldn't have held me off for that long.'

'You still had the upper edge for most of it though,' reasoned Kel, picking up her sword and sheathing it.

'Lia, you've only been training with me for a few weeks and look how much you've improved. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years you could well and truly thrash me.'

'You fight well girl,' said a gruff voice, from the house.

Leaning next to Mistress Luhala, was an old man with greying hair and hard brown eyes.

'Shem!' exclaimed Alex, 'Good to see you,' and he marched forward to give the man a vigorous handshake.

'This is Lia, my assistant. Lia this is Shem.' Kel also shook the man's callused hand.

Once inside, Alex began to explain to Kel how Shem had once been part of the Whisper Man's 'court' when he was King of the Rogue.

'And now I'm in a happy retirement, ferreting out information from all the traders of this town,' said Shem with a sigh, accepting the drink that his wife handed to him. He took a deep swig and smacked his lips together.

'To business laddy'buck,' he said, the cheerful grin fading from his face. 'Alex, oh I may as well just say it, Hastann fell last week.'

Alex blinked, and said nothing. Kel knew that Hastanne was one of the fourteen Greater Scanran Clans. There were several small clans that lived in the wastelands of the North and East, but fourteen main Clans.

At last Alex spoke,

'So he has three clans under his banner…Have you sent word on?'

Shem nodded, 'Early yesterday morning. It was a clean take-over, there was no fighting. By the time the clans people realised what was happening Hastanne was in Rathhausak's possession.'

'He's been planning it for months,' sighed Alex, 'He just acted faster than I anticipated.'

'I think that I may have found a way to gain more information,' said Shem slowly. 'There is a Gallan merchant, down Southgate Market, who I believe works for the Gallan Intelligence service. Galla, sharing a border with Scanra, are also on edge about Rathhausak. I've been following the fellow for weeks and I am almost one-hundred percent certain he is passing information on, through a series of coded messages hidden in his wares which he ships downriver to Galla.'

'Have you intercepted any of these messages?' asked Alex eagerly.

'Nay lad, I'm too old to be a creepin'. Besides I might be recognised and I'll not endanger my position here. But you are leaving tomorrow, make a nice quick mission into his warehouses and be on your way tomorrow.'

Alex thought this idea through, 'I'm going to need a diversion,' he said, looking up at Kel.

* * *

_Why in Mithros' name did I agree to this? _Kel asked herself for the thousandth time as she walked in a seemingly unconcerned fashion up the road to the Southgate market.

Shem had showed her a rough sketch of where the Gallan's market stall was, and the warehouse that stood directly behind it. If Alex was to gain access to the Gallan's stores the diversion would have to be suitably big enough that he wouldn't notice a man slip behind his stall and walk through the front door of the warehouse.

Kel gulped, sweating slightly, despite the fact that it was late afternoon and quite cool. She knew she was absolutely mad to even attempt to pull off what she was about to try. If she were caught it would mean big trouble and probably the end to her career as a spy.

Kel had left her sword at Shem's house, but was by no means unarmed. She had no less than seven daggers concealed upon her person and a full purse tucked inside her shirt; for any possible bribes.

She passed the Gallan's stall, where large assortments of leather items were displayed with a sign that read, 'Quality leather from Scanra'. Scanran leather was quite a common item to be traded as Scanra had massive farms stretching for many acres, some purely for cattle.

Some of the leather had already been worked into an assortment of shoes, bags, belts and other sturdy items. Kel knew that in the warehouse would be more hides of leather than hadn't been cut into items. It was this leather that would be exported up the river, ready to supply Galla's finest cobblers, bag-makers and even armouries (for leather scabbards and holsters).

Kel continued up the hill past the large stall of leather and past the stall selling pretty perfumes and stopped just beyond the next stall which held an assortment of fruits.

Kel wetted her dry lips, she caught sight of Alex; a dark shape moving swiftly among the crowds and knew it was time.

She turned to the stall, just in time to see the stall owner; a bearded Tyran, knock a small Yamani girl to the floor. Kel saw the iron collar around the girl's neck; she was a slave. A red-hot anger filled Kel; no one had the right to do that to a little girl.

Kel's fear was replaced by rage and in that moment she changed her plan somewhat. Instead of picking up a single mango and throwing it at the stall of leather, Kel bent down on the pretence of examining a piece of fruit and shoved the stall with all of her might.

For a moment Kel's arms strained and then with an almost impossible slowness the stall wobbled and then…Mangos, oranges, apples and peaches careered off of the stall as the wood went flying.

Kel dived under the second table and uprooted that too. It was chaos. Fruit was pouring down the hill, people screaming and as they dived out of the way. The initial flow had taken out the perfumery stall, sending glass bottles flying, and then it had cascaded onto the leather.

The Gallan howled in outrage as mango sludge drenched his fine leather. Two seconds after it happened, Kel grabbed the small Yamani girl off of the floor and sprinted away.

The stall-holder, seeming to awake from his frozen state saw her and cried out. In the chaos and melee that followed no one heard him. Hoping that Alex would have made good use of her daring diversion she continued to run.

The Yamani girl sobbed into her shoulder. Kel eventually stopped running, panting and set the small girl down.

'It's all right,' she told the small girl. The black-haired child blinked in surprise.

'You speak Yaman?'

'We haven't got much time, I have to go.'

'Don't leave me,' begged the girl, 'I can't go back, he'll kill me.'

Kel considered her options. There was absolutely no way she could take the girl into Scanra, but if she left the girl on Fraslund she would undoubtedly be sold again.

'Take me to the nearest charms-mistress.'

The girl nodded her eyes wide and pulled Kel further into the twisting maze of back-street Fraslund. They stopped after about ten minutes outside a grubby door, the paint peeling of a sign that read 'Charms available on request.'

Kel and the Yamani entered the dingy house, peering around at various unidentifiable charms.

'What do you want?' asked a reedy voice in Common.

'I need you to get the magic out of this girl's collar,' said Kel sharply in a commanding tone.

'If you have her enslavement papers and proof of purchase,' said the woman primly.

Kel took a step forward, anger blazing in her face, 'She is a girl not an object.' And reaching inside her shirt, opened the purse and drew out a handful of coins. 'Do it.'

The woman seemed to be taken aback by Kel's commanding presence.

'If the authorities found out, I'd be taken away for sure.'

'They won't find out, this girl will be off the island before nightfall with no one to trace her back to you.'

The mage looked longingly at the money on the table; it was more than she'd earned in the last two months put together. Then she looked at the Yamani girl's tear-stained face, shining with hope. She nodded once and beckoned the girl forward.

A look of concentration passed across her face and a blue glow surrounded the collar. Then it died.

'There is no more magic in that collar than in that kettle over there,' she said, releasing the small girl, 'Now be gone.'

And they left, Kel thanking the woman deeply. The mage watched them go and shivered. That brown-haired girl had shaken her more that she would've thought possible. _If that girl hasn't got the hand of fate on her, then I'm a cod fish, _she thought, shivering again.

Some people liked the excitement which lay round about those who are marked with Fate, but Mistress Guhn was not one of those people. Scooping up the coins from the table, she hid them in the pot underneath her bed, trying to forget about the look in the girl's hazel eyes.

Meanwhile Kel had used her new skills to pick the now un-magicked lock, releasing the girl once and for all. She then hid the collar out of sight, behind some piles of rubbish, where she would retrieve it later.

Scooping up the girl Kel began to run again, sprinting down to the Western harbour. She vaguely remembered the area where the Yamani ships were harboured, after a couple of wrong turns she finally managed to stumble into the right place, breathing heavily.

She cast her eyes about, frantically searching for a likely looking vessel. She spotted one, and forced her weary legs to carry her forward.

'Excuse me,' she called out in Yaman, 'is this ship ready to depart?'

An olive-face Yamani looked up, searching for the speaker. After a few seconds his eyes fell upon the Tortallan girl standing on the quay. He sprang lightly off of the ship and landed cat-like on the dockside.

'Who is asking?'

'My name is Lia and I ask if you can take this girl to the Emperor's Island.'

The Emperor's Island was the main island, where Kel had stayed with her family for six years.

'Not you?'

'No I must remain here, but I can pay a good price if you can ensure that she gets there safely.'

Kel then turned to the young girl.

'What is your name?'

'Natsu,' whispered the girl.

'Okay, Natsu, if you were dropped off on the Emperor's island could you find your way to the Mohirrim?'

Kel named the Mohirrim, or 'Temple town' as it was more commonly known. There were priestesses there who would look after the girl and bring her up either as a priestess or as a serving lady. Either way the small girl would have a future.

The girl nodded, her eyes, now dry were round.

'I'll have to ask Captain,' asked the sailor, his face as expressionless as Kel's.

Kel scooped up Natsu again and followed the sailor onboard. Inside the ship, the sailor led them to the Captain's cabin, where he knocked smartly on the wooden door.

'A…lady to see you Captain,' said the sailor with hesitation. He had been about to say girl, but decided that it would've sounded too strange.

Kel strode purposefully into the cabin.

'I'm inquiring as to whether I can by a passage for this girl to the Emperor's Island,' she stated firmly.

Had he been any other nationality, his eyebrows would have risen until they met his hairline, but being Yamani he simply stared back at Kel.

'You think you have enough money to pay for it?'

'I know I have enough money to pay for it,' said Kel, equally polite, drawing out her purse from inside her shirt.

At first, having seen her full purse, the Captain tried to fix her up with an extortionate price, but after some haggling Kel gave in and paid up, anxious to be away.

Just as Kel paid him the money two Yamani ladies entered the cabin.

'We will be away soon?' questioned the first.

'As soon as the cook returns from the market my ladies,' said the Captain bowing low.

Kel looked at the two ladies, one of whom seemed to be noble, the other an attendant.

'And who is this?' asked the noblewoman.

'I am Lia, milady. I have the honour of addressing?'

'This is Lady Haname noh Ajikuro,' announced the attendant, sniffing.

'Peace,' said Lady Haname to her attendant.

'I am honoured to stand in you presence,' said Kel, every inch a diplomat's daughter. 'I was just leaving, having arranged a passage for Natsu here.'

Kel knew it was a gamble, but it was one she took. Within two seconds she knew it had paid off, the Lady Haname, who looked to be only about eighteen, was absolutely taken with the small girl.

'And why are you arranging a passage back to the Isles for her? Surely a beggar girl can't afford such luxuries,' said the attendant haughtily.

'Natsu is an orphan and up until recently, a slave. I am sending her back to her homeland so she can seek help at the Mohirrim.'

'How simply awful!' exclaimed Lady Haname, 'And so young! Do not fear for your friend Lia, we will make sure that she is safe.'

Confident that Natsu would be fine, she gave the young girl one last hug and set her down on the floor.

'Luck be with you,' she whispered, a traditional Yamani goodbye.

'I won't forget what you did for me,' promised Natsu, 'never, not even when I'm old.'

Kel was touched by the solemnity of the girl's words and decided it was time to leave. She looked back only once to see Lady Haname noh Ajikuro fussing over Natsu.

_Noh Ajikuro, _thought Kel suddenly, where had she heard that name before? Then suddenly it struck her. The house of Ajikuro was one of the oldest Yamani noble houses, older even that the Emperor's. Kel's face split into a wide grin as she began to jog back to Shem's house.

_I've just managed to secure a place for that poor slave girl working for the gentle Lady Haname in one of the oldest Yamani noble houses! _She thought triumphantly, and grinning harder still at the thought of mango's still rolling around Southgate market, she made her way back through the twisting maze of streets to Shem's house.

It was mainly luck and a good sense of direction which allowed Kel to enter the cosy kitchen only twenty minutes later.

Alex was perching on the table, deep in conversation but as he heard Kel come in, he looked up. A smile flashed across his handsome features, halfway between deep amusement and despair.

Shem on the other hand roared with laughter.

'What a distraction and a half girl! By Mithros, they'll still be finding errant pieces of fruit for days to come! The Gallan only calmed down about half an hour after Alex had left the warehouse, we had plenty of time! Did anyone see you?'

'Only the stall-holder of the fruit stand, but there were too many people for him to give chase,' said Kel.

'I don't suppose you'd care to explain where you've been for the last hour and a half then?' asked Alex.

'I had some business to see to,' said Kel, staring stubbornly at Alex. 'The truth was I didn't mean to cause such a commotion in the market, but I saw the fruit vendor hitting his slave-'

Shem began to interrupt but Kel overrode him.

'She was about seven years old, kidnapped from the Yamani Isles, an orphan most probably. So I shoved the tables, in the commotion I grabbed the girl. I managed to find a mage to unbind the collar and as we speak the girl is sailing to a better life in the Yamani Isles.' She stared defiantly round at the three adults, as though daring them to question the use of the money she had been given.

When no such question came, she collected her sword from the corner and belted it resolutely on to her waist.

'When do we leave?' she asked Alex.

'Right away,' said Alex. 'The information we managed to find has indicated that Rokang will be the next Clan to fall and we must make haste. I have been absent too long.'

'May Mithros himself protect you Alex, for the service you do for this country,' said Shem, shaking Alex's hand firmly. Mistress Luhala offered similar sentiments, and both of them gave Kel and appraising nod and wishes for good fortune.

Together, both astride Prince, Alex and Kel set off into the darkening city. Within the hour, they were aboard a ship, sailing towards Port Canush. The port nearest Hamrkeng, the capital of Scanra.

* * *

…_a massive beast, seven feet tall stood in the doorway. He had a bull's broad neck, large eyes and on top of his head were two broad horns. His nose almost resembled a human's but his jaws were large, slathering and his face wore an expression of undeniable triumph…_

…_the tauros let out a deafening bellow, and lurched forward…_

…_the sword was too heavy and her arms too weak. Her third swing was too slow and the beast lurched forward twisting the weapon from her grip in one fluid motion…_

…_she was jerked forward by the unexpected attack, and the beast second horn gouged her. Scarlet blood began to seep from the long wound which extended the full width of her chest, just below her collarbones…_

…_the force of the blow had tossed her clean off her feet. The ripped material of her dress around the wound was already stained red__…_

…_it was upon her before she had time to think or scream for help, its huge mass bearing down on her. It ripped at her underskirts…_

…_Kel began to scream as it continued its merciless attack…_

'Kel wake up!'

She was being shaken roughly by Alex. _It was a dream, _Kel thought as she forced herself to breathe deeply, _only a dream…_ But it had been so realistic because what would've been horrific as a nightmare was even more hellish and lifelike as it was actually Kel's memory.

It wasn't the first time Alex had been awoken in the night by Kel's unearthly screams and he wondered what could possible scare her so, that Kel, the very embodiment of calm, courage and determination, screamed and whimpered like a child.

_But then again, _thought Alex, _she is a child. And sometimes I lose sight of that fact._

He soothed and comforted her until her breathing returned to normal. But nevertheless Kel stood up, obviously not wanting to fall asleep again for a while and they stood together on the deck, feeling the salty breeze in their faces. Her face was unreadable, lost in her own thoughts Kel stood in silence and as much as he would've liked to, he couldn't do anything to help her. Alex reflected too, in silence, albeit about different things.

She thought of Neal, of Lucie, her family, all left far behind, of her life ahead…trying to banish all memories of _that _day from her mind.

He thought of how remarkable she was; battling on each day against something in her past that clearly terrified her. Of how she could be moved to such lengths just to help a child in need, though barely more than a child herself. He thought too of lost love, the family he no longer had and his possible future.

Above them, stars shone in the inky blackness of the infinite sky, as the ship sped onward towards Scanra and all that awaited them there.

* * *

**(-a/n- **Whoop! Long chapter!! Again I'm sorry about the delay but never mind, I hope you've enjoyed reading this long chapter :D Anyhow please leave a review and tell moi what you thought :D )

Also thankies to **Citrusfruit **for helping me to beta this chapter as I'm absolutely exhausted and couldn't face spell-checking all eleven pages of this size nine font, Microsoft word document :P

**Confusedknight xxx**


	20. Hope

**(-a/n-** Oh dear… a month has passed without an update…where does the time go?? I apologise yet again for my optimistic thinking that I could update sooner…sighs…It's so frustrating…I want to write but I simply cannot find time. Anyway almost there on the exam front (well not really, but I keep telling myself that to make me feel better!)

(For those of you who were asking, ball-girling is when we go down to the International tennis competition and as the competitors play we have to feed them balls, collect the balls etc. If you look at any professional tennis match you'll see the ball crew running across the net etc. It's really fun! And we've got the ladies world number one coming this year so that will be really good!)

Thanks to everyone who did review though, your messages are all very much appreciated, I'm sorry I couldn't answer them individually this time, but I don't have a spare hour to do so –sighs- I hope you continue to enjoy the story :D )

Thanks to all of these wonderful people for their lovely reviews:

**LadyKnightSusan** Waiting To Be Inspired, **the. dead. addict.** I love Fallen!, **x17SkmBdrchiczxx**Tsumetai, **Taiyoukai**, Pie of Doomeh, **All Hail Books**Grace of Masbolle, **epobbp**Hasamaki, **Skyline, **Romance, **truffletruffle01**Yabberli, **theknightofkonaha**SavingSaturn, **Sarra's wildchild**Serilia, **Hunchbook, **rvwr, **oirishgoddess**ella plain and simple, **SaphirePhoenix**BlackWidow12, **Arid Tundra**Elentariel, **JaBoyYa**brezzybrez, **Erytha**Evil Bunny of Death, charmedgirl90, **.yashamew**queenoftheostlers, **Nyleve**On top of cloud 9, **bookworm-4-ever2012**Erynfaer, **Mrs. Dom Masbolle**Kiki, **Bertie Botts, **Rycr, **Arbor**Macko, **alynawatlovers, **Aly the Spy, **insane-i don't think so**, Mystic Elf, **Yanikei**Alezadi, **hyperbookworm, **untamedspiral & **Me.**

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

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Hamrkeng looked much like any other city from a distance; buildings sprawled higgledy-piggedly all over the place and at the very centre some tall, official looking buildings.

'That's the Government centre,' said Alex in answer to Kel's unspoken question.

'I didn't know that Scanra had a government,' said Kel in surprise.

'It doesn't,' said Alex grimly.

'So what is-'

Alex interrupted, 'Let me explain.' He glanced surreptitiously about to check they were truly alone.

'You know that Scanra has many different clans who all protect their own interests-'

Kel nodded.

'Well Hamrkeng is meant to be an impartial city. In other words no one clan is meant to have control of the city. It's where the army is based, well what little "national" army there is.'

'Why do I get a sense that things aren't quite as they're "meant" to be?' asked Kel sardonically.

'Maggur,' said Alex grimly, 'is all but running the city. His pal Mizvah, incidentally the head of the "free" army is in control. He sighed, 'The concept of Hamrkeng might be quite difficult for you to grasp. You know of course that Scanra is made up of the Clans. The Clans are nomadic, moving every two years or so to find better farming land. To some people, the life of constant change is not how they want to live. Many have no choice; Clans offer protection, food and shelter which is hard to come by if you aren't allied to a clan.

However, if you have money, and can afford to buy and keep yourself installed in Hamrkeng, it is seen as the height of luxury. Even the Clan leaders do not live so well. Hamrkeng is mainly a city full of rich merchants who've retired.

Traditionally, the city is seen as a free town, where, if you have money you can escape Clan-life. The Inner district is where all the big houses are and in the centre is the Government buildings where the "free army" is based.

Of course big houses for wealthy people need manning and a shanty-town has been built around the Inner district for those who serve the wealthy. Vendors have found a demand for their wares. Inns have sprung up for travelling merchants…' Alex trailed off.

'What is this "free" army you speak of?' asked Kel.

'It is a not so much an army, more a band of soldiers who do the bidding of Mizvah. They patrol the borders.' Alex snorted, 'Not that it does any good. Scanra is so huge; three hundred men cannot possibly hope to keep out foreigners.'

'So that is where I'm going?' asked Kel, 'To work in the house of a wealthy, retired merchant.'

Alex nodded, pleased that she had picked it up so quickly.

'The man's name is Vishnaucht, he is moderately wealthy and has a decent sized group of slaves and servants.'

'How is he important, relating to Maggur?' asked Kel.

'I'm not going to tell you that, it could make the information you give me biased. You see if I tell you "that man is in cahoots with Maggur" or something similar then you might interpret information differently because you know that. I want you to report anything and everything that could be important to me and fresh, undistorted information.'

'And am I going to be a slave or servant?' asked Kel coolly, taking everything in her stride.

Alex didn't answer her directly, instead he asked,

'How much do you know about slavery?'

'Not much,' Kel admittedly, 'Only that it's illegal in Tortall and all but illegal in the Yamani Isles.'

'Slavery means different things in different countries,' Alex said slowly. 'Slaves are expensive and therefore are a sign of wealth in many countries. In Scanra in particular slaves are a sign of skill in combat. In big farms and plantations like in Carthak, Northern Scanra and Maren slaves are needed all the time to work the huge fields. Most wealthy merchants will have the odd slave or two, but an esteemed warrior will have a whole bunch of slaves, which he'll have won through trials of combat.

Now a warrior who travels a lot isn't going to want to have fifteen slaves following him, so he might station some at his residence, have a couple of women and a manservant to travel with him, but the rest of his slaves, he "rents" out. He might "rent" his slave to a plantation for a season and the owners of the plantation will pay him for the labour done. It's the only way in which big plantations can function as often the farmers do not have enough money to buy all the slaves they need.'

Kel was silent and her face Yamani-smooth.

Alex knew that Kel was outraged by the news and had slipped back into her 'blank face'. He had however been training her to show some emotion at all times, even if it was false emotion.

'Face,' he reminded.

Kel scowled, her eyes immediately darkening.

'It's disgusting,' she remarked, making every effort to keep her voice calm, 'how people can exploit their fellow humans as though they were nothing more than cattle.'

'I agree, but let's not forget that the situation in Tortall is far from perfect as well. There are many peasants who are treated worse than slaves, made to scratch a living on a quarter of what they should be earning.'

'At least they can earn something,' said Kel hotly, 'no one in Tortall belongs to someone else!'

Alex didn't reply to her comment and he rode on in silence, Kel walking alongside Prince and Alex, travelling closer and closer to Hamrkeng.

When they eventually entered the city, Alex dismounted and whispered in Common,

'Keep your face hidden, don't draw attention to yourself.'

Kel did as she was told, instantly tilting her head forward, so that her messy, tangled hair covered her face. She slouched down and slowed down her walking speed until she was several metres behind Prince. She looked just like all the other miserable kids that were going about their daily lives.

Alex obviously knew where he was heading because he strode purposely through the busy streets leading Prince behind him. On several occasions Kel had to jog to keep them in view; afraid that if she lost sight of them in the turbulent crowd she'd never find them again.

After twenty minutes of dodging, weaving and doggedly making her way through the crowds of a busy Scanran market day, Alex ducked into a side street where a grubby sign proclaimed 'Lodgings available' in crudely formed letters.

Kel followed close behind, watching curiously as Alex tethered Prince and let himself into the lodging house.

'Quick,' he whispered, and together they hurried up a narrow staircase and down a dingy corridor. Alex pulled a key out of his pocket and let himself into a room, pulling Kel in after him and shutting the door.

Kel stared at the room, surprised by it's cleanliness. What she had seen of the lodging houses so far had given her an impression of dirtiness and shabbiness, but this room was clean, neatly arranged and very roomy. There was a small, neatly made bed tucked in the corner, a small desk beneath a paned glass window and a fireplace, currently empty. In the middle of the floor was a large open space. There appeared to be a privy behind a small wooden door in the corner and a chest of drawers stood opposite the bed.

'So this is our base, I own this room courtesy of George and if you ever get into trouble, or need to meet me, this will be where you come. There is another exit, if you climb out of the window, concealed in the vines are iron footholds, either to get in or out, but be very careful to make sure no one sees you,' said Alex.

Kel didn't know what to say. Alex would never divulge more than he had to, and she wasn't going to waste her time asking pointless questions.

'Right, you know where you are going, to the house of Vishnaucht the Merchant and you are going to be my slave which I'm lending to the house for probably a six month contract. I know the cook so I'm sure that she will find you a place in the house.'

Kel took note that Alex 'knew the cook' because these were little seemingly insignificant things which she had learnt to pick up as they might be important later on. She doubted that being acquaintances with the cook would get her a job, so Kel thought that perhaps Alex knew the cook better than he was letting on.

'You were captured in Tortall recently and I won you off of the man who had bought you from the slaver. That should explain your Tortallan accent and your basic grasp of Scanran.'

Alex picked opened his packs and drew out several items, the first of which was a slave collar. Made of a dull metal, it was almost identical to the one Natsu, the Yamani slave had been wearing.

'It doesn't have any magic in it, so you should be able to pick in off in under a minute if you ever need to,' said Alex, fastening it around Kel's neck.

Alex also handed Kel a grubby, knee length skirt and a thread-bare cloak. Kel pulled on the skirt, rolling her breeches up so that they didn't show beneath the fraying material of the brown skirt.

'I'm not forgetting my promise little one,' he said seriously, placing a hand under Kel's chin and forcing her to look him in the eyes. 'Each day you'll be given three hours or so of spare time, if you come to these rooms I'll be there for your lesson.'

Kel inwardly relaxed, she had been worrying that she would lose all of her hard earned fitness if she spent the next six months cleaning a house instead of fighting.

Alex looked Kel up and down.

'You'll do,' he said smiling briefly. 'You'll be absolutely fine, more than fine. I really think that the information you give me will make a difference, the more information I have, the more I can act on.'

Taking one final look at the room around them, Alex said,

'Right, let's go find you a job in Vishnaucht's house.'

And so they left the way they had come, collecting Prince, who greeted them with a snort, expressing his disapproval at having been left for fifteen minutes. However, instead of riding Prince, Alex led him round to a stable at the back and swiftly unsaddling him, left their travelling companion munching happily on a pile of fresh hay.

Then Alex set off, twisting his way through the crowds, Kel following. Kel was paying close attention to the route they were taking; after all, soon she would have to find Alex's rooms alone and it wouldn't be a good thing to get lost in the City.

All around Kel were the sights and smells of Scanra, people calling out, rowdy and clamorous in the evening air, but not many had a smile on their face. These people were going about their daily jobs to survive, selling belts or pottery to feed their children. There was a sort of grim normality to their struggle and it showed in the faces of the old to the very young.

Eventually, they left the grim markets and grubby children far behind, as they entered the wealthy part of Hamrkeng. Here the houses were tall and gleaming, freshly painted with fancy, wrought iron gates and brass door knobs.

Alex led Kel around the back of the house, and knocked hard upon the side door.

'Coming, coming…' shouted a woman in harsh Scanran.

Moments later the door was flung open to reveal a plump lady with greying hair and tiny, beetle-black eyes set in a wrinkled face. She wore a flour-stained black dress, rolled up at the sleeves and a burned, discoloured apron around her rotund middle.

'Alexei?' she questioned.

'Marthea! Good to see you,' said Alex stepping into the woman's embrace.

'Great Clan chiefs above! Where have you been these past weeks? We heard nothing, nothing! We know you like to come and go, that's ok, but when you say you'll be somewhere you normally are!' Her voice had taken on a reprimanding tone.

'It was important,' said Alex earnestly.

Kel stood there, completely confused.

'Alexei, everything is important with you, far more important that I think you know. Anyway, the cause is growing, everyday more and more people Alex… it's not surprising, but every day our hope grows and to see you there...but never mind I'll save that for someplace else. Who is your young friend?'

'Marthea, may I introduce you to Lia, I won her off of a merchant who was unwise enough to challenge me.'

'Unwise indeed,' agreed Marthea, 'but can I ask why you are keeping her?'

'It draws too much attention, a man with no slaves,' Alex said vaguely and Kel had a suspicion that he was trying to brush off the question. Marthea had a similar thought, but both knew that if Alex didn't want to tell them, then they weren't going to find out.

'She knows?' asked Marthea tentatively.

'No,' said Alex bluntly, 'it's safer that way.'

'Quite right too,' said the plump cook, 'she is too young, too young by far. Right girl, come here and let me have a look at you.'

Kel stepped forward, allowing herself to be scrutinised.

'Humph,' said Marthea, 'she is too skinny…like every other child in this godforsaken city. I suppose you want me to get her a job.'

Alex smiled, 'It'll be safest,' he seemed to stress the word 'safest', 'for all.'

'Quite right,' agreed the woman for the second time. 'Well I suppose we can come to an arrangement. Yes…quite…it should be absolutely fine, come along then Lia, there's work to be done. Yes…work…I'll be seeing you around Alexei…Gods all bless…' The woman spoke distractedly, as though she wanted to say far more than she was doing.

Alex bid the woman goodnight and slipped off into the darkening city without another word, leaving Kel feeling quite alone.

'Come in child,' said Marthea, 'Greta! Come here...Where is that blasted child? Greta!'

The older woman led Kel into the kitchen. It was a large room with several long trestle tables which were laden with an assortment of vegetables, knives, bowls and other culinary utensils. A large open fire with a pot bubbling merrily stood at the far end of the kitchen and all down another wall were several black ovens, coal-burners by the look of it.

From the low ceiling hung an assortment of birds and smoked hams. At the end of the kitchen where Kel stood there were huge cabinets containing a great variety of spices and salts and a door stood slightly ajar that led down to the larder.

Suddenly a tall girl with long black hair and a pock-marked face appeared through a side door. She was carrying a sack in her hands and her face was set in a perpetual frown.

'There you are!' exclaimed the cook. 'This is Lia, the girl I told you about yesterday.' Greta looked puzzled, Kel didn't blame her; as she had only arrived two minutes ago there was no way that Marthea had told Greta anything about her new job. But Kel went along with it anyway; it would look a bit strange if everyone knew that Kel had been employed on the spot.

Greta shrugged, deciding that it wasn't worth arguing over.

'Once dinner is ready I want you to show Lia around. She'll be working solely in the kitchen and will run errands for me.'

Greta nodded, placing the sack on one of the tables.

'I got the rice you wanted.'

'Right then, get to work preparing it. I'm going to be preparing the sauce…' she turned her beady eyes on Kel. 'Can you peel vegetables?'

Kel nodded, grateful for her months spent helping Fanche in the kitchen because before that she'd never lifted a finger to help in a kitchen.

Greta set Kel up with a pile of vegetables including carrots, leeks and marrow and handed her a sharp kitchen knife. Kel set to work peeling and chopping, perspiring slightly in the steamy kitchen.

By the time dinner had been served and all of the washing done it was late in the evening. She sat with Greta, both of them eating their spiced noodles sleepily. As they ate, Greta told Kel about the Vishnaucht household.

Although sometimes Greta's thick Scanran accent made it difficult for her to interpret precisely what Greta meant, Kel got a general idea of how the house ran. Vishnaucht lived with his wife, three children – two boys and a girl, his grandmother and his wife's sister. Every day they would eat breakfast when the bells chimed seven, lunch at one bell past midday and supper at the seventh evening bell.

Vishnaucht employed eleven, (twelve including Kel) people at his Hamrkeng residence. There was the housekeeper who oversaw the running of the house and gardens. Vishnaucht's manservant/butler, a gardener, a young boy slave who did odd jobs, a governess, a tutor, a ladies attendant, two maids; one free and one slave and finally Cook and Greta.

Once they had finished their supper, Kel followed Greta up a back staircase to the attic where the servant's quarters were. As Kel was posing as a slave she had to share a tiny box room with Greta and Leanna, the two other slaves. It was hot and stuffy in their windowless room and Kel's pallet was nothing more than a thin mattress and two blankets. However despite her discomfort Kel fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of Mindelan and it's beautiful countryside.

* * *

_Fief Queenscove_

Neal lowered his sword, from where it had been resting on the padded tip of the guardsman's nose. He bowed formally then extended a hand to the sweaty man with whom he'd been practising for the last hour.

'Well fought Master Neal,' said the man, sheathing his own sword. 'You have the makings of a fine swordsman. That Padraig haMinch seems to know what he's doing up at the Palace.'

Neal shrugged, too hot and bothered to do much else. He was in the middle of his long summer holiday, visiting his mother and brother at Queenscove. Emmeline had arrived the day before and when his father arrived in two days it would be the first time that his family had been together since his brothers' funerals three years previously.

Neal didn't often speak to anyone about Ethan or Marcus, his elder brothers who had died in the Immortals war; Ethan as a first year Knight and Marcus as a Squire. They had been part of a squad which had fallen prey to a group of Spidrens and Centaurs. Their death had been the main reason why he had given up his healer's training to become a Page, feeling that with his brothers dead then it was his duty to become a Knight of Queenscove.

He had only discussed this painful topic only with Kel, his closest friend. But now that she too was dead…Neal swallowed painfully and sheathing his sword, began to walk away from the practise courts.

Ten minutes later he flopped down on a grass bank, watching a dragonfly hover momentarily above the water of the sparkling pond, before it flew away. Neal sighed, staring gloomily out across the water.

He came to this place whenever he wanted to be alone. It allowed him to think. He had come here a lot last summer, thinking about the unfairness shown towards Kel –his best friend who had died over six months previously.

He still couldn't quite believe that she was gone. It had been over a year since they had parted, but she'd promised Neal that she would come back. He ran his hand agitatedly through his hair. He didn't want to believe she was gone yet he had to face the facts…

'Thought you might be here,' said a voice from behind him.

Neal jerked up, it was Emmeline. She was wearing a simple green dress that matched her eyes and a ridiculously wide straw hat. Noticing the direction of his gaze, Emmeline smiled.

'Yes it's quite hideous isn't it? But I couldn't find my parasol and…' She stopped, noticing that her older brother was not really listening.

She sat down next to him, leaning back against the tree.

'Coin for your thoughts?' she asked.

Neal sighed half-heartedly, 'I'm surrounded by ignorant people. The phrase is 'a penny for your thoughts' which is in fact an idiom descending from the popular-'

'Neal,' Emmeline groaned, elbowing her brother.

It was strange, thought Emmeline, that her brother could seem so familiar yet so different to how she remembered him. He still had a quick tongue and a wicked smile, yet he seemed more serious that the Neal she remembered.

'So how's life as the oldest page?'

'Fourth oldest actually,' said Neal. 'It's going fine, two more years until I become a Squire. Unfortunately we didn't have our summer camp this year because we were going to go the hill country between Lake Tirragen and the Drell River but the week before we went bandits were discovered there. It turned out that the district commander was taking pay offs…' he trailed off, still staring out across the water.

'I miss Kel,' he said suddenly, admitting the unspoken feeling of many of the Pages.

'Keladry of Mindelan?' said Emmeline.

'Did you ever get a chance to talk to her at the Convent?' asked Neal.

'Rarely, we met on her first day though. She was a quiet little thing, went around with Lucie of Cavall, got herself into trouble for being rude to one of the older girls…There is a rumour that she had a great Yamani spear in her room which she threatened Sister Maera with one time.'

Neal smiled, imagining his friend wielding her glaive; all five foot of it's iron-shod length, and a Sister cowering in the corner.

'You know Neal, they never found her body. I overheard one of the Sisters talking; she may still be alive.' Emmeline didn't mention how unlikely she thought this.

'I live in hope,' sighed Neal, 'I live in hope.'

* * *

**(-a/n-** How was that? I hope my writing skills haven't gone rusty! I thought you might like to find out what Neal was up to. I'll try and update when I can…)

Please review, I'd love to hear what you think of this so far…

**Confusedknight xxx**


	21. Luck of the Gods

**(-a/n- **A speedy update! (Well speedy-ish)! Compared to normal anyway, -sighs- I update so erratically, it depends I think on how fed up I am with schoolwork. For example at the moment I really should be revising physics for my GCSE but…here I am…writing because I can't stand to read one more line about "decaying nuclei" giving off alpha particles…grr!

I'm still really excited about this story; there are so many things that are going to happen that it makes me wish that it didn't take so long to write it up. I need a super-computer that can read my mind, organise my ideas and write it up for me…-sighs- I wish! Anyway that's enough rambling for today…

As always **thanks x a million** to the **brilliant people** out there who find it in their lovely hearts to review, it really inspires me to write more :D 3 more weeks people! And then we shall be back to quick updates :D Although methinks that there will be no update for two weeks as I've got two weeks with tons of exams and then after that only one odd one :( still a lovely review would cheer me up -hint-hint-!)

**untamedspiral, **Erytha, **K.D. Rai, **x17SkmBdrchiczxx, **the. dead. addict., **LadyKnightSusan, **BlackWidow12, **theknightofkonaha, **Waiting To Be Inspired, **SavingSaturn, **Erynfaer, **darkjewelledassassin, **Feed The Foxes, **Hasamaki, **TheWall, **Kulash, **Elentariel, **Pie of Doomeh**, killinguwithumbrellas, **brezzybrez, **Skyline Romance, **truffletruffle01, **On top of cloud 9, **epobbp, **Evil Bunny of Death, **StonedLorikeet, **queenofthehostlers, **kaze-tsuki, **ella plain and simple, ** balecka92, **JaBoyYa, **neverlife** & Aly the Spy.**

**Tsumetai Taiyoukai**oh you will find out eventually :D tee hee hee :D I do love mysterious characters :D

**Orohippus**Thanks for that out, I hate that wretched word I always seem to get the wrong one! Lol, and it's not something that really stands out when I read it through…still I shall practise! Lol.

**Yabberli**Yeah, I'll definitely write it. Those chapters are gonna be so darn fun to write! But anyway…I've still got a lot of Kel's Scanran escapades to write up first…

**I love Fallen!** I know, I'm sorry…exams got in the way :( It was half-written for ages, but I didn't have time to finish it…anyway…I hope you enjoy this chapter to make up for the delay :D

**oirishgoddess**Thanks! Are you doing GCSE's too? Grr…they are so annoying…I just want to get them over and done with…Still…yep there is a mysterious plot brewing…wait and see!

**Thanks to all reviewers!**

**Confusedknight xxx**

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Kel's arm jarred painfully as her sword met Alex's with a resounding clash of blade on blade. Feeling strangely detached from her arm, she twisted her body so that she could perform her own attack. Two sets of hazel eyes were furrowed with concentration, two sets of brows glistening with sweat, two swords engaged in a deadly dance of skill and strength.

After six minutes or so Alex's sword found a way past Kel's –it always did in the end, and the two duellers bowed, breathily heavily.

Fighting in such a confined space made it hard work for both of them, as limited room meant that little ground could be conceded or gained in their duel.

Kel groped for the earthen jug and poured herself a glass of water with fumbling hands. She winced as her left hand came into contact with the glass; the previous day she had acquired a nasty burn when hot sauce had slopped out of the pan and on to her fingers.

Setting the jug down and taking the glass in her uninjured hand, Kel gulped eagerly at the water, letting it slide down her dry throat. Finishing the glass with a grunt of satisfaction Kel turned her tired eyes upon Alex.

'It was your quarter block on the left hand side, it was fractionally too late which allowed me to press my advantage with the crescent sweep and you didn't have a chance to counter.'

Kel nodded, stifling a yawn. Alex looked at his young charge, concern evident in his eyes.

'Are you sure that you want to carry on today? You look exhausted.'

'I'm just a bit tired that's all,' said Kel, reaching for her sword once more.

Kel looked more than tired, but Alex said no more. It had been six weeks since Kel had been instated in Vishnaucht's house and the information she had been passing on was confirming his growing suspicions about Maggur's next move.

Kel however was paying the price for her role as spy and slave. Slaves were allowed little rest time and they worked long, hard days. In addition to her work as kitchen assistant, spent her free time practising swordplay with Alex, going for long runs around the city and even her sleeping hours were interrupted by excursions into Vishnaucht's study, or listening to his meetings that often went on late into the night.

Her eyes looked sunken and out of focus, as though her every effort was set upon just keeping them open. Her hands shook as she lifted her sword again, her scarred hands marked from burns and cuts that she had received in the kitchen.

They begin to practise some feint moves, ones which were designed upon fooling your opponent into blocking prematurely or dodging to protect one side, leaving another unguarded.

It was only when Kel tripped and stumbled that Alex decided enough was enough.

'There is no point me trying to teach you anything today little one, you are simply too exhausted.'

Kel opened her mouth to deny it, but shut it upon seeing Alex, his face set.

'You've got another hour and twenty minutes before you need to be heading back,' said Alex.

Kel looked at him blankly. So he sheathed his sword, and scooped her up, depositing her on the bed. He then removed the sword from her trembling fingers.

'Sleep,' he whispered, pulling the blanket up to her chest and tucking it under her arms.

Alex sat on the bed for a few minutes, watching with brotherly affection as Kel drifted off into sleep. It took barely two minutes before Kel slipped into unconsciousness, her face relaxed and she looked somehow a lot younger when she was sleeping.

Alex didn't know how old Kel was exactly, but he would hazard a guess at about twelve or thirteen. _Too young, _he thought sadly, she should be at home with a family, enjoying the last of the autumn sunshine that was filtering in through the window.

But circumstances being as they were, although Alex felt guilty for doing so, he privately thanked the gods for Kel's presence. Never before had he been able to keep tabs on so many possible Maggur-collaborators.

Only last week she had stayed up until one bell past midnight listening in to a secret meeting between Vishnaucht and Castrix. Kel had discovered early on that if she sat in the "hatch" in the kitchen then she could quite easily eavesdrop upon any conversations taking place in the study above.

The "hatch" consisted of a tray/platform suspended on two ropes that could be hoisted up the chute, bearing tea and snacks to the study above, without a servant having to interrupt whatever meeting was taking place.

Kel could sit there and listen for hours without anyone any the wiser. If she was found she could simply say that she had come down for a glass of water.

Alex sighed yet again and quietly stood up, deciding that there was some work he could be doing.

* * *

All too soon for Kel, Alex was shaking her gently awake.

'You'd better get back now, or there'll be trouble,' said Alex.

Kel stared blearily up at him and then with a groan pushed herself up.

'Kel I want you to take a break for the next couple of days,' said Alex. Kel was about to protest but Alex cut across her, 'you're no good to anyone if you're so exhausted you can't think straight. Instead of coming back here later on for another lesson, I want you to sleep. Sleep tonight as well, no poking around for another two days and that's an order.'

Kel scowled but agreed grudgingly. Picking up her things, she hurried away; cook would be expecting her back any minute.

* * *

Panting Kel entered the kitchen five minutes later, having run all the way from the Alex's room to the house.

'There you are, I'd wondered where you'd got to,' said Greta, not looking up from the dough which she was kneading. 'Where do you go everyday?'

'Just about,' Kel shrugged, 'I like getting out of the house, that's all.' This was partly true; Kel did enjoy her hours of relative freedom with Alex. It broke up the monotony of slavery nicely.

No one looked twice at her anymore, despite her obviously un-Scanran looks. And that morning she had discovered why. Kel had caught a glance of her reflection in the window of a shop and for a moment she didn't recognise herself. She had become one of those dirty, grim faced children going about their lives, doing the same job day after day, hardened expressions on their faces.

Kel began to chop large pieces of meat for the pie. The meat was cold and slippery, covering Kel's hands in blood. Wrinkling her nose, Kel continued to chop, trying to ignore the squelching of the meat as her knife seared through the flesh…She shuddered, reminded of the time when her family had been forced to watch the beheading of an entire squad of Yamani soldiers because one had disobeyed an order.

That day was one that Kel would rather have forgotten, alongside many others. She had been horrified to learn the power the Emperor had over his subjects. Some of the soldiers hadn't even done anything, other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It made Kel sick to think of the power the Emperor had at his disposal. _Why should he have the right to end the lives of innocents? _Kel thought, still angry at the injustice of it. She was also confused. To her the Yamani Isles had always been seen as a "good" country. There was justice, no slavery, no keeping women as possessions and yet a country that was run by a man with absolute control over every life, didn't that seem a bit tyrannical?

Perhaps things weren't always as black and white as her eight-year-old self had previously thought. Perhaps it was human nature to want to domineer and find yourself superior to others; two characteristics which Kel hated in any man or woman. Perhaps there were no "good" countries and "bad" countries. Even Tortall had it's problems –many fiefs had no care for their subjects and the way that Tortallan justice system was run, was based upon the nobles of each fief protecting their peasants.

If only people could see each other for what they were, without being blinded by prejudice…

Kel sighed; _I'm getting too philosophical in my old age,_ thought Kel wryly, _Neal will be delighted to have someone to debate with._

Kel's throat constricted painfully as a wave of homesickness overtook her. _Don't think of Neal, _she told herself sternly, chopping at the meat with more aggression than before.

Eventually the pie was in the oven, ready for the family's lunch. Kel and Greta ate their rolls hungrily; working in a kitchen that smelt deliciously of hot beef pie had certainly given them an appetite.

'Do you mind if I nap for a while?' asked Kel, 'just wake me up when Cook wants me.'

Greta nodded, privately thinking that the younger girl did look as though she needed a rest.

'Where did Lia go?' asked Cook, a slight frown upon her face.

'To take a nap,' said Greta, 'she looked almost at the gate to the Dark god's realm earlier.'

'Let her sleep then, it won't hurt. We'll wake her up before dinner,' said Cook, knowing that Alex wouldn't appreciate returning to find his slave, whoever she might really be, in a state of exhaustion.

Greta got to work washing the plates, mumbling about "lucky-beggars" who got to sleep all afternoon.

When Kel was eventually shaken awake it was late afternoon.

'Cook let you sleep but we've got to do a big meal for dinner, so she needs you.'

Kel got up, splashed her face with water, feeling more awake than she had in days.

* * *

…_a massive beast, seven feet tall stood in the doorway. He had a bull's broad neck, large eyes and on top of his head were two broad horns. His nose almost resembled a human's but his jaws were large, slathering and his face wore an expression of undeniable triumph…_

…_the tauros let out a deafening bellow, and lurched forward…_

…_the sword was too heavy and her arms too weak. Her third swing was too slow and the beast lurched forward twisting the weapon from her grip in one fluid motion…_

…_she was jerked forward by the unexpected attack, and the beast second horn gouged her. Scarlet blood began to seep from the long wound which extended the full width of her chest, just below her collarbones…_

…_the force of the blow had tossed her clean off her feet. The ripped material of her dress around the wound was already stained red…_

…_it was upon her before she had time to think or scream for help, its huge mass bearing down on her. It ripped at her underskirts…_

…_Kel began to scream as it continued its merciless attack…_

'Lia, wake up!' hissed Greta.

Kel awoke with a start and sat bolt upright. She shivered despite the warm evening, the dream always seemed so real.

The evening had flown by in a flurry of chopping, fetching and carrying. When all was tidied away Kel had fallen asleep within minutes of her head hitting her lumpy pillow.

She could see Greta and Mara (the other slave girl) staring at her through the darkness.

'It was just a bad dream,' mumbled Kel.

'You were tossing and whimpering,' said Mara sympathetically, 'are you sure you're okay?'

Kel nodded, trying to get a grip on herself.

'I think I'll go and get myself a drink,' she muttered, getting up unsteadily. Kel could feel two pairs of eyes following her out of the room. She rubbed her eyes furiously, angry at herself.

Why did that memory have to haunt her? And why did it still affect her so badly?

She padded down the servant's staircase and into the kitchen, oddly empty and still as it always was at this late hour. Helping herself to a glass of water, with the intention of going straight back to bed Kel had one foot on the stairs when she heard murmuring.

It was two o'clock in the morning and Kel had thought that besides herself and the two slave girls whom she had woken up, that no one else would be awake at this hour; she was wrong.

Listening hard, Kel crept back across the kitchen and prised open the doors to the hatch. It squeaked slightly, Kel froze, sure that the whole house must've heard it, but no one came. After several tense moments her pulse slowed again and she pulled herself up into the hatch and crouched on the shelf.

From her new position she could hear the conversation above. Feeling slightly guilty; Alex had told her not to spy that evening, Kel listened, intrigued as to who would be meeting with Vishnaucht at this unsociable hour.

Kel's sleepy brain struggled to make sense of the rapid Scanran that was the conversation above. Both men spoke in undertones and often it was impossible to catch what they were saying.

'…Llatimor is getting ever wary. Soon the alliance will be all but non-existent.'

Vishnaucht chuckled, 'I know Stenmun has some tricks up his sleeve where the alliance is concerned.'

'Quite so,' replied the unknown man's voice. 'When the alliance does fall then the army will be increased by thirty percent and I know that Llatimor has many iron mines. It shall become a smithy for the army.'

'Where is the army camped currently?'

'At Rathhausak, where it is shown only to a select few. He's gathering mages too, I know that two powerful Tyran war mages are coming and there are rumours of an offer proposed to a Gallan sorcerer.'

'…Then you will make sure Maggur gets my donation and that he knows who it's from?'

'I will indeed.'

Kel heard the scraping of two chairs.

'It was a pleasure doing business with you,' said Vishnaucht.

'No, the pleasure's all mine,' said the unknown voice silkily.

Kel heard the study door shut and waited, holding her breath. It was silent for a minute or two, and then, to Kel's horror footsteps could be heard coming up the corridor to the kitchen. Kel made a split-second decision, and pulled the door of the hatch shut until it clicked gently.

There wasn't a lot of space inside the hatch; an adult wouldn't have been able to fit. But Kel had just enough room to crouch down. A second later she heard muffled footsteps across the kitchen floor. Whoever had visited Vishnaucht was leaving by the back door.

After what seemed like an age, the house was silent. Kel managed to wiggle herself around until she could stand. Peering up into the darkness above her Kel took hold of one of the ropes that suspended the platform on which she was sitting and bracing her feet on either side of the shaft, on the rough brickwork, she began to climb.

Kel hauled herself up with little difficultly; her arm strengthening exercises paying off and she began to feel the walls of the shaft. On her left hand side, where brick should've been, there was a wooden panel; the door.

Holding on to the rope with one hand she felt for her dagger. Unsheathing it, she slipped the thin blade between the door and the wall and slid it upwards. The catch undid and the door swung slowly open.

Getting out of the hatch proved to be more difficult. She had to haul herself up several more times, until her feet were level with the small opening. Kel then began to manoeuvre herself out of the hatch.

She made it. She was standing on the wooden floor of Vishnaucht's study. She headed for the desk, her eyes ransacking it for any information left over from the meeting. Several sheets seemed to be of no importance; the monthly finances, tranport bills etc. But to the left of that pile, mainly hidden by an ornate tray, was a grubby-looking piece of paper.

On one side was a scribbled message, but Kel's ability to read Scanran was poor, so she wasn't surprised when she couldn't make head nor tale of it. The other side however looked more promising- a sketched diagram marked with crosses and symbols.

Kel looked at the piece of paper, a slight frown upon her face; she knew she couldn't take it, Vishnaucht would then know that someone had been in his study. Suddenly an idea occurred to her, if she made a replica then she could give it to Alex.

Looking back at the desk, Kel saw several Styli that could be dipped in ink –they were no good; too messy. So instead she used one of the small graphite sticks to copy the message and map onto the only material she had available- her shirt.

Eager to be out of Vishnaucht's study, she replaced the crumpled piece of paper and cast one last look around before re-entering the shaft of the hatch, pulling the door shut quietly.

Kel lowered herself easily until her bare feet touched the wooden platform. She was tingling with excitement, perhaps this message and map would be exactly the information Alex was looking for.

She felt wide awake and any thought of returning to bed was quickly banished from her mind. Kel decided that she would make a night-time expedition into the city to find Alex. After all he had said once that anything important should be brought to him immediately.

The city air felt wonderfully cool on her face as Kel jogged through the winding streets. It was still and quiet. In fact the only places showing signs of life were the taverns, some with drunkards sprawled outside, all with muffled noises issuing from them.

Kel was still in her night attire –a simple shirt and loose breeches and the dirty stone cobbles of the street slapped her feet painfully as she ran on. She arrived at Alex's house five minutes later. She was relieved; with the exception of one drunk trying to persuade her to marry him, she hadn't been approached by anyone and therefore hadn't had to explain what she was doing in the middle of Hamrkeng, half dressed with a dagger in hand.

Kel managed to climb up to Alex's room with relatively little difficulty. The iron rungs hidden by foliage made good hand and foot holds. Deciding not to try and break in -she wasn't sure what Alex's reaction would be if he woke up to find someone in the middle of his bedroom uninvited. Knowing Alex it would probably be swift, involving Kel's unfortunate demise by throwing knife, before Alex realised that it was she and not an assassin.

So Kel rapped smartly on the windows, praying that no one else would wake up. She needn't have worried. Alex was a light sleeper and he sprang, catlike out of bed in an instant, naked sword in hand as he strode towards the window.

When he saw who it was, Alex opened the window, allowing Kel to scramble in. He shut the window after her, and lit a lamp, so that he could see Kel properly. Alex sat down on the bed, obviously waiting for an explanation.

'I was in the kitchen an hour ago,' Kel began, 'when I overheard a rather interesting conversation.'

And so Kel related to Alex the details of her nocturnal adventure.

'And you're absolutely sure he said Llatimor and alliance?'

'Yes said Kel,' wondering what on earth was going on.

Alex began to pace, running his hand through his tousled blonde hair. When Kel showed him the message and sketch on her shirt he looked up at her, his eyes filled with wonder.

'Kel…' he said hoarsely. 'This is exactly the kind of breakthrough I've been looking for…for well…for months. We actually know what Maggur is going to do in advance, which gives us a very good chance of being able to delay it.' He broke out into a grin.

'But what does it mean? What is Maggur going to do? What was on that sheet of paper?' Kel couldn't help but ask. It really was infuriating, gathering information without much knowledge of what it meant.

Alex looked at her seriously, then sighed. I suppose you've earned a right to know at least part of the picture.

'Llatimor is so important because he is the clan chief of Rokang and Rokang has always been of friendly terms with Sekholm.'

'So Maggur is trying to destroy the alliance that lies between Sekholm and Rokang?' asked Kel.

'It certainly looks like it. As for this message, it's coded so I can't make head nor tail of it, but I do know someone who can,' said Alex, hurriedly copying it off of Kel's shirt onto a piece of paper, then rubbing the markings off of Kel's shirt.

'No wonder I couldn't read it,' said Kel, 'I just thought my Scanran reading skills were bad.'

Alex smiled again, but this time it was short-lived.

'Kel, I'm going to have to go away for a while.' He said seriously, stopping his pacing to stand directly in front of her. 'I've been planning this trip for a while but with this information it's even more crucial that I go. There really is no time to lose. I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm afraid your fencing lessons are going to have to wait until I return.'

'Can't I come with you?' asked Kel.

'No,' said Alex immediately, looking Kel straight in the eye. 'Look, I could give you all sorts of excuses as to why you shouldn't come; it's too dangerous etc. but that would just be an insult. I know that you can fight and spy and your company would be appreciated…but you're going to be needed here.

We know Vishnaucht is funding Maggur, as I suspected he was. Your presence in that household is going to be more important than ever.'

'But if you're away, then I won't have anyone to report the information to anyway,' pointed out Kel.

'Yes and that's why I want you to be sensible about the amount of spying you do. If you're caught, then I'm not going to be around to help. However if I did take you with me it would mean ending the contract with Vishnaucht and I very much doubt if we would be able to get you back as a slave in that household –it would look too suspicious.'

'But what shall I do if I do stumble across anything?'

Alex lifted up the mattress to his bed, and carefully undid a pocket, pulling out a book.

'Record it in this, in Yamani,' he said. 'You can write in Yamani?'

Kel nodded.

'Because if anyone finds this, I very much doubt that they'll be able to read it.'

'How long will you be away?' asked Kel, seeming to have accepted that she would not be going with Alex.

'About three weeks, but I never can tell. If something important comes up it could be longer. But Kel,' he said seriously, 'if I don't return by Mid-winter, and that's a good ten weeks from now, I want you to go back to Tortall.'

Kel's mouth opened, but Alex held up a hand.

'If I don't return then it'll be because I've been captured or most probably killed. There will be no good you staying in Scanra and life when Maggur starts this war will get very nasty indeed. Promise me Kel.'

Kel nodded dourly as Alex handed her a set of keys to the rooms.

'Well you'd best be getting back and get a few more hours of sleep.' He broke into another grin, remembering the information she had brought. 'You are so gods-cursed lucky! To overhear a secret conversation at two bells past midnight! By Mithros! What were you doing in that kitchen?'

Kel shrugged, shifting awkwardly.

'Come to think of it, what were you even doing awake at that time?'

'I had a…a nightmare.'

Kel didn't need to say anymore; she saw Alex's look of comprehension.

'The same one?'

Kel nodded, her face completely blank, trying to hide the shame she was feeling. Instead of pressing her further, Alex stepped forward, bent down and enfolded Kel in a hug. Kel stiffened, but Alex didn't let go.

After a time, Alex could feel Kel begin to relax and kept holding her there, rubbing his hand in comforting circles on her back.

'Give it time Kel, it'll fade and get better,' he promised her, closing his eyes and thinking of the nightmares that had plagued him for so long.

Eventually he let go, Kel turned away and headed towards the window. She half climbed out of it, and stopped her face hidden by shadow and whispered,

'Take care of yourself, Alex,' before she disappeared into the night.

It was only then when Alex realised that the front of his shirt was wet. Kel had been crying. Looking up to the place where Kel had been moments before he whispered,

'Gods all guide you little one.'

* * *

**(-a/n-** So what did you think? I'm dying to know :D please click on the petit button below and leave me a review :D Thanks…)

**Confusedknight** **xxx**


	22. Life continues

**(-a/n- **Okay…so my plan of updating sooner didn't happen, I'm sorry –sighs-. On a more positive note, my exams have now finished! Whoo! And therefore I have more time on my hands, which should equal faster updates ;D As always thanks for the wonderful reviews you guys leave, because without you there would be no story. I value every single review and just want to let you know how much I appreciate them :D –hands out large, chocolate-covered cookies- :P

**Tsumetai Taiyoukai, **Yabberli**, Rycr, **ella plain and simple,** K.D. Rai, **JennyvreMoss**, Waiting To Be Inspired, **epobbp**, SavingSaturn, **Eclipsa**, mangolady**, elf warrior princess**, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, **Misery DeSoul**, darkjewelledassassin, **Pie of Doomeh,** Orohippus, **theknightofkonaha**, truffletruffle01, **SarahE7191**, Evil Bunny of Death, **Feed The Foxes**, Lives for Fantasy, **rootless californian, **BlackWidow12, **SOPROL**, Arid Tundra, **Uncertian Destiny**, Stoned Lorikeet, **Forget Me Not Blue**, Kaze, **Miss Violet Purple**, kulash, **I love Fallen!,** brezzybrez, **lynn**, killing u with umbrellas, **untamedspiral**, .yashamew, **LadyKnightSusan**, insane-i don't think so, **hyperbookworm**, Enno Vy, **Nyleve**, Elentariel, **rosie**, neverlife, **sheko**, On top of cloud 9, **Golden23**, Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm, **charity**, Ayswen, **tygerliilly**, 42 Eternal Snow 42, phoenix, **Serilia**, bookworm-4-ever2012, **amatsemper**, Moonprincess202, **Moema**, Aly the Spy, **Kiki**, manicpony24, **Firgof Raina**, tigerlilly, **Macko, **Ingrid**. & ThJaFl.

**softly descending **No she was actually raped :(

**JaBoyYa **When I reach the place of the prologue I think I'm going to continue for a bit longer, because I have a cool plot line which will become apparent in time :D

**Right or Ryn **I have a plot line mapped out, but not events allocated to chapters. This is a new way of writing for me because normally I plan each chapter, but this has given me freedom…I reckon probably at least 40 chapters, but hopefully updates will be more frequent now that I'm on school holidays.

**Grace of Masbolle **She will eventually, but I'm going to make you guys all wait a little longer :P

**Erynfaer **Nope, not even a whiff of a clue! Lol.

**Hunchbook **Yep, Kel is twelve and a few months. Which is quite young when I consider it, but she has had to grow up fast…

**Erytha **Alex is in his early twenties…

**oirishgoddess **I did (yippee! Past tense) English, English lit, Maths, Statistics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Latin, French, P.E, Music and R.E short-course :D

**queenofthehostlers **don't you dare! Lol. Not that you'd understand my random notes anyway they are sorta odd words here and there which prompt my thoughts! Lol. Still I hope your D of E is going okay, so far the weather has been good for you…well not good but it hasn't rained (yet!)

**yada yada that what people ...**Yeah they're good! I've read Maximum Ride too:P You'll have to wait for any romance because Kel is only twelve :D

**Alezadi **Lol, thanks for the lovely long review. The plot is unfolding slightly slower because I have to include small details for the end to make sense…Anyway thanks for the encouragement, and yes at some point they will definitely tell each other about their pasts.

**katiebug123 **hehe! Thanks! I agree, being put in a slave collar would be so…degrading. Thanks for reading (and reviewing) all those chapters, I did wonder where you'd gone…lol :D Still I hope you continue to enjoy xx

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

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Kel stared out at the dense grey cloud which hovered ominously over the city and sighed. The weather had been deteriorating ever since Alex had left and Kel wasn't looking forward to her first Scanran winter. The other slaves told tales of freezing bitter winds, blizzards and short, dark days. Last winter at the Convent had been bad enough, but here, many leagues north and without a room complete with roaring hearth, heated bathwater or goose-feather quilts it was going to be a miserable couple of months.

'Lia…Lia!' called the hearty voice of Cook.

Sighing, Kel picked up her stained apron and hurried down to the kitchen, her leather-covered feet padding softly on the wooden floor.

'Hurry child, hurry!' exclaimed the portly woman, 'that dough needs to be kneaded and shaped and Mithros help you if you let those potatoes burn! ...Oh Greta, you aren't chopping those marrows right, I need rings not strips…'

By now Kel had learnt to ignore Cook's almost constant commentary as she worked. The woman was friendly enough, but when it came down to cooking she expected perfection. She achieved this mainly by instructing Kel and Greta to do all of the ground work, like chopping, peeling, kneading and busied herself with the task of flavouring the food until the kitchen was full of rich, divine smells.

Kel rolled up her sleeves and set her small, scarred hands to work kneading and pummelling the pastry. She worked vigorously, giving some exercise to her arms. Kel didn't mind doing the more strenuous jobs, as they helped to build up her arm muscles. Some days she stood for hours sweaty and sooty from the open fire, turning heavy spits upon which a small pig roasted. Other days she simply shifted large bags of flour, something which she has become quite proficient at, after all the hours working in Gothar's mill.

Despite Alex's continued absence, Kel continued to spend her free hours holed up in his room, practising endless sword drills. As Kel worked the dough she analysed the morning's practice and decided that she would continue to work on the "snake bite" a particularly complex drill which if performed at speed should effectively disarm or knock an opponent off balance.

When the pie had been baked and the vegetables steamed, Cook finally dismissed her two young charges. Kel immediately pulled off her apron and headed straight for the back door.

Outside there was an icy wind blowing and Kel gasped as it whipped at her clothing ferociously. Her teeth chattering slightly, Kel began to run. Each breath of cold air shocked her lungs, making it hard to breathe and her eyes watered with the pain of the stinging wind. She leapt and dodged the puddles of dirty water as she ran and very soon Kel stood outside the lodging house.

Her fingers frozen, Kel fumbled as she tried to fit the key into the lock. After several attempts there was a click and Kel stepped inside into the merciful shelter of the building. Once in Alex's room, she lit a brazier and coaxed a fire into the hearth.

Kel's immediate desire was to do nothing more than gather a thick blanket off of the bed and huddle beneath it next to the fire. However Kel knew that she had more important things to do.

Having checked that the door was firmly locked, Kel stripped off her skirt, revealing a pair of breeches beneath. She also took off her soggy shoes and set them before the fire to dry. Before she started to practise Kel went over to Alex's cupboard and pulled out a small jar. Dipping two fingers into the jar, she then soothed the cream into her neck. The slave collar which she was forced to wear chafed and rubbed her neck raw and Alex's healing salve helped to repair the skin.

Then Kel began her practice. She started by a thorough stretching routine, her joints now limber and supple from almost five months of daily stretching. After she was warmed up then she began the muscle strengthening drills. Kel performed endless press ups, sit ups and other exercises finding them easy at first but then progressively harder as her muscles tired and protested.

Kel forced her screaming muscles into performing one more press up and then collapsed onto the floor panting slightly, but feeling pleased with herself that she had managed to complete all of them.

Without Alex there to teach her, Kel hadn't learnt anything new for the past five weeks. Instead she had practised every single thing that Alex had taught her. She wasn't a stranger to training alone; Kel had had to do it for months when staying with the Weir's and at least Alex's training had taught her new things to practise.

Now a proficient fighter with both of her right and left hands Kel had to perform twice; once with each hand. As she had decided earlier, Kel began to practise the "snake bite". She started slowly, her limbs remembering the movement as she worked on the precise angle of the blade. Gradually she speeded up until the blade was a blur.

Making a mistake, Kel stopped and started again, every fibre of her being intent upon completing the drill. When she got it wrong, she started all over again and continued to do so until she had completed it ten times in a row without putting a toe wrong.

The exercise and the small fire kept Kel warm, but when she returned outside to the harsh weather she felt like she had plummeted head first into a bucket of cold ice. Gasping slightly and clamping her hands in her armpits Kel began to jog doggedly back up the street.

Despite the roar of the wind Kel heard a faint crying as she passed a street corner. Looking down into an alleyway she saw movement, and the plaintive weeping grew even louder. Making a split second decision, Kel ducked into the alley.

'Who goes there?' called a throaty voice.

'Tora,' Kel said, saying the first name that popped into her head. As Kel grew closer to the group she could see a small boy, not much younger than herself, curled up on the ground sobbing loudly.

'Let him go,' she said, keeping her distance.

The biggest boy guffawed,

'Why would we want to do that? We're just teaching this runt a lesson...it's not as though he's important. Besides what's it to you, slave.'

Kel's blood boiled, despite the freezing wind, how dare they think that boy was insignificant and unimportant enough for it to not matter if they hurt him or not.

'I said let him go.'

'You can't order me around slave.'

Without another word, adrenalin singing in her blood, Kel leapt forward, her leg snapping out to catch the boy in the gut and sending him flying. She pulled the small boy roughly to his feet and shoved him forwards. The boy saw his chance and fled, leaving Kel with three angry youths.

They flung themselves upon her, but Kel, who was born to be a fighter shook them off easily and blocked their attacks. Not having been taught hand-to-hand combat for quite some time, Kel was a little rusty. But her arms were strong and her joints supple, so she managed to perform the basic punches, kicks and Yamani self-defence manoeuvres. It was enough, they fled down the alley leaving Kel alone, breathing hard and little worse for wear.

'Are you mad?' hissed a voice behind her.

Kel spun around to see a woman with crooked teeth and a wide pallid face watching her from a shadowed doorway.

'If the Watch catches you, you'll be flogged!'

'But those boys were beating up-'

'You're a slave,' interrupted the woman, giving her a funny look. 'You didn't have any right to do what you just did.'

'But-'

'Don't argue with me lass, I didn't make the laws and I ain't sayin' they're fair, but you gotta run else you'll be in trouble mark my words.'

Kel didn't need telling twice, she turned and ran, sprinting away into the growing gloom and she didn't stop running until she was safely inside Vishnaucht's house.

'Is that you Lia? Ah good it is, come here child, come here. Mithros girl what happened to you?'

A firm hand was placed under her chin, forcing her to look up at Cook, who surveyed her face critically. Then, without saying anything, Cook reached for Kel's hands. Turning her hands over, she looked at Kel's bruised knuckles and raised her eyebrows. Kel stared defiantly back at her.

'I don't know what you do for Alexei,' whispered Cook, 'nor do I even want to know. But it's dangerous being involved with him, perhaps even more than you know.' She gave Kel an appraising look, 'You're a good kid, so be careful, remember if you get into trouble Alexei isn't here to get you out and the laws do not favour slaves.'

She released Kel and walked away, not giving an outward sign that the conversation had taken place.

'Oh yes,' she called over her shoulder, 'you'll be waiting upon the family at dinner tonight so you'd better go and get yourself cleaned up.'

Kel stood, rooted to the spot, her mind abuzz. In the eleven weeks that she'd been working in the Vishnaucht household, Cook hadn't even so much as mentioned Alex. Besides what was it about Alex that Cook knew and Kel didn't?

Shaking herself mentally she jolted out of thoughts.

'You want me to what?' she called after Cook.

'To wait on the Master and his family as they dine this evening,' said Cook not even bothering to turn around.

'Why?' asked Kel, 'doesn't Haina normally do that?'

'Haina is ill and unable to. You must go and get yourself cleaned up. I'm sure I can rustle up a fresh shirt and skirt from somewhere, but you'd better was the mud and blood off of your face.'

Kel hurried upstairs, her fingers gently probing her face.

'Aah,' she exhaled when her fingers touched her bruised lip and face.

Hurrying in to the small bathroom she filled the sink with cold water from a large urn and undressed down to her underclothes. Then with a cloth and the aid of a cracked and tarnished mirror, she gently cleaned her face.

Kel surveyed her injuries; one split lip, bruised knuckles and a bruise which spread from her cheekbone to the side of her eye. Fortunately once cleaned up, none of her injuries were very noticeable.

Kel sponged her arms, legs and neck clean and attempted to wash her hair, wincing as cold droplets of water ran down the back of her neck. Just as she was wringing out her hair, Cook barged in, a pile of clothes in her arms.

'I managed to dig out a shirt and dress, here you go and a clean pair of slippers-' as Kel straightened up Cook gasped, catching sight of Kel's massive scar that ran across her chest.

'Thank you,' said Kel shortly, taking the clothes and refusing to meet Cook's eye. She quickly pulled on the shirt, lacing it up high so that her scar was hidden from sight. Then she pulled on the brown, plain dress and laced that up too. It was only then that she looked up at Cook, her hazel eyes stony, almost as though daring Cook to ask what had happened. Cook didn't dare and instead left hurriedly, talking distractedly to herself.

Kel then pulled on the leather indoor slippers and picked up her dirty clothes. In her "room" she found her headscarf, which she used to tie back her long wet locks.

When Kel returned to the kitchen she was assaulted by a tirade of delicious smells.

'Lia, come over here and finish off marinating this pork, but don't you even think about spilling a drop down that dress…Put on your apron first, there's a girl.'

As Kel began to spread the viscous sauce upon the half-cooked meat, Cook bustled away to sort out the potatoes. Kel sniffed at the sauce and decided that it was a mixture of Rosemary and apples with just a hint of sweet cinnamon. Weeks of cooking under the guidance of a true connoisseur such as Cook had vastly improved Kel's knowledge of food and recipes. If she ever needed to, Kel could cook a six course meal within the space of four hours and the results wouldn't be bad either.

Adding just a dash more of the marinate to the underside of the leg of pork, she fetched the thick oven gloves and carried the pork back to the red-hot oven. Stoking up the coals so that even more heat was produced Kel then placed the tray inside and shut the door.

As she did so a rather severe looking man entered the Kitchen. It was Vishnaucht's butler.

'Where is the slave?' he asked haughtily.

Cook motioned to Kel, who gulped, pretending to be intimidated by the balding man.

'Sir?' she asked hesitantly.

'You're to come with me.'

Kel followed him out of the steamy kitchen and into the main house. Kel didn't often go out into the main house and therefore made a great show of looking around at the décor and ornaments. Of course compared with the Yamani Imperial Palace, where she had lived for six years, this house was relatively shabby. Everything was kept clean, but all of the furniture had a slightly 'out-of-date' look, not quite antique, certainly nothing impressive.

The butler led her into the dining room where the table was laid, ready for the family's evening meal.

'Have you ever served a meal before?' asked the butler, looking down his nose at her.

'Not in a house like this, Sir,' Kel replied meekly.

It was truthful enough. She'd served at a pub before and even in the Royal Palace at Corus, but never in a Scanran Merchant's house.

The Butler then proceeded to explain the exact order in which to serve the food. First to Vishnaucht's mother, as the lady of the household, secondly to Torrianna, Vishnaucht's wife and then to Vishnaucht himself. After that, their three children were served, oldest first and youngest last.

There were so many different rules and Scanran customs pertaining to just one family meal that by the time Kel was allowed to return to the kitchen, her head was buzzing. After helping with a few last minute preparations, all was in place. Dinner was ready to serve.

The first course comprised of tureens of soup, piping hot and deliciously thick. Kel had to take care not to spill a drop as she served the family, feeling self-conscious of her split lip and bruised hands. She needn't have worried. No one paid her a second glance. Kel doubted whether they'd even noticed that she wasn't the slave who normally served them.

Dinner continued in a rather uneventful manner right up until pudding. The main pudding was a rich looking gateaux that made Kel's mouth water, but there were several side dishes to accompany it and it therefore took Kel several minutes to completely lay the table.

It was during these few minutes that Kel overheard Vishnaucht's conversation.

'No my dear,' he said to his wife, 'you know that it's important. We need to gradually gain respect and hopefully in a few years time when he comes to power then we'll be in a powerful position.'

'But it's so much,' protested Torrianna, 'surely he'll be grateful for any amount and settle for something less.'

'Keep your voice down,' Vishnaucht instructed, 'or the children will hear. Don't worry, we'll find the money somewhere, amongst all our assets. Besides any money paid now will be reaped thrice over in years to come, we'll just ask for more time to raise the money.'

'Go to someone, tell them what's going on,' pleaded his wife, 'Maggur can't threaten you in this way.'

'Tell who?' asked Vishnaucht bitterly, 'half of this country is feeding out of the palm of Maggur's hand, and the other half is too scared to do anything. We've got in too deep Rianna. Supplying Maggur at first was one thing, he got me many good contacts for the business, but he demands ever more…' he sighed, 'I'm sure it will all work out for the best in the end, Gods be willing.'

He raised his glass in a mock toast and drained it, smacking his lips afterwards and sending fine droplets of wine dribbling into his beard.

Kel was intrigued, would Maggur's man be returning later that evening? What was Maggur up to that needed a substantial amount of funding? For how long had Maggur been demanding money off of Vishnaucht? It was these questions that kept her mind occupied for the remainder of the evening. Whilst she was clearing the table, washing up and eating her own dinner, her mind was full of conspiracy theories and images of a great and terrible army rose unbidden in her imagination.

When she finally crept up to bed, slipping silently onto her pallet so as not to wake the ill Haina, she did not sleep. Instead Kel lay listening, waiting for Greta to fall into slumber. As she waited the images of war rose again in her mind and this time she could see her friends; Neal, Merric, Seaver and Cleon, all standing on a battle field, unprepared for war against Maggur. They were scarcely more than first-year squires, without battle experience or knowledge of the harsh world.

_I won't let it happen, _thought Kel savagely. _If we can delay this war then they'll have a chance, all of them, a chance to be more prepared._

It was this flare of determination more than anything else which spurred Kel into leaving the meager warmth of her blanket and tiptoe down to the kitchen.

Over the weeks that Alex had been away, Kel had made several night-time excursions, but with few results. Sometimes she could hear Vishnaucht finishing up his paper work or talking to his manservant, but mostly the study was as silent as the Black God's realm.

This evening as she took up her regular position, sitting in the hatch, she could hear Vishnaucht shuffling around upstairs. Yawning silently and shivering in the cold, Kel peered around at the familiar kitchen. It was lit by the embers of the dying fire and somehow seemed strangely ethereal in the gloom. She was mesmerized by the glowing coals and allowed her mind to drift.

She wondered vaguely what Alex was doing. In the short space of time that she had known him for, Alex had somehow filled part of the hole inside of her. He had shown her not only kindness but respect. Despite everything, his superior swordsmanship skills, her inexperience in life and her continued nightmares he respected her.

This may not seem like an amazing thing. But to Kel who had suffered the degradation of being kicked out of Page training, abandoned at the Convent, raped and left to beg on the streets of Tortall, respect meant a great deal.

After leaving Corus she had, despite her repression, kept fighting solely because she believed in herself, believed that she could change her fortunes and make a difference. After the Tauros attack, she had lost her self respect and so lost her fighting spirit.

However under Fanche's care she had recovered and begun again. Since meeting Alex his support and confidence in her had helped considerably and Kel had never felt more in control of her life. She worked for Alex; she was actively making a difference to the world, whether it be by saving one small boy or delaying the imminent war.

Suddenly a noise jerked her out of her reverie; someone was entering the kitchen through the back door. Once again shutting the doors behind her, Kel crouched in the hatch, her heart hammering in her chest.

After the footsteps died away, she heard the man enter Vishnaucht's study. They began to converse rapidly in Scanran. Kel whose understanding of the Scanran language was nearing fluency, understood far more of the conversation that she overheard than she did a month ago.

They were discussing several places that Kel had never heard of and there was a great deal of discussion about mining.

'…I'm sure you understand that in his position he constantly needs more financial support…'

'…Well, be that as it may my income cannot allow…'

'…You made a deal with Maggur, now you must honour you side.'

'…but I don't have the money,' said Vishnaucht tiredly, 'that is to say I don't have it yet, just give me a little more time. One of my ships went down last week in the Emerald Ocean, and I have to reimburse my customers…'

'…and our Lord has a country to prepare for war. Which is more important?' interrupted Maggur's associate.

'Of course the war must take precedence, but if I lose these customers, then my business will suffer. All I ask is that you give me ten days to find the money that I owe you. That's all, ten days. '

'What I can't understand is why you plead for extra time, when you already have the required money here in the city.'

Vishnaucht said nothing.

'Oh yes, we know all about those private bank accounts. Their balance should be more than enough to cover…'

'But I need that money for maintaining our house and servants. We need to keep up a respectable image you know…'

'I see,' said the stranger, his voice taking on a dangerous tone, 'you need that money to run your house and the other money for the business.'

'Yes, yes,' said Vishnaucht, relief evident in his voice.

'I have specific instructions from Maggur himself concerning the collection of money,' said the other man. Kel heard the scraping of a chair as the two men got up. 'If you no longer have a house or a business then there will be no use for the money,' the man said conversationally.

'What?' asked Vishnaucht.

There was a sudden movement above and Kel heard a gasp.

'Tell me the security codes for the accounts,' hissed Maggur's associate.

'Don't hurt me,' whimpered Vishnaucht, 'please don't hurt me.'

'The codes,' demanded the stranger, 'now.'

Kel sat rooted to the spot, it sounded like Vishnaucht was being threatened, presumably at weapon-point, what should she do? Should she get help and then have to explain why she had overheard the conversation in the first place? Or should she stay put?

Above Kel could hear Vishnaucht hurriedly telling the man the codes to his accounts.

'That's all, that's all,' sniveled Vishnaucht, 'let me go.'

'It was a pleasure doing business with you, but I'm under instructions to make an example of those who are unwilling to obey Maggur. Long live King Maggur,' sneered the stranger.

After that came a terrible stomach-churning, throttling rasping and a thump as a body fell to the floor.

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**(-a/n-** So what say you? Was it worth the wait? I found the first half of this chapter difficult to get into after such a prolonged absence from fan fiction, but once I got into it, it began to flow again. Hopefully I will update again tomorrow as this is an evil cliff-hanger.)

Please review,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	23. Playing with fire

(-**a/n- **Okay! Check this out! A super duper speedy update! Hehehe, I do love summer holidays:D Happy Independence day to all of ye Americans out there. (Btw...what precisely is Independence day?!? Someone please educate me!))

Thanks to all these lovely people who reviewed :D

**ShadowHunterLoki**Serilia**Right or Ryn**Erynfaer**killing u with umbrellas**the. dead. addict.**CelticGoddess09**TsumetaiTaiyoukai**Skyline Romance**SarahE7191**Orohippus**theknightofkonaha**K.D. Rai**epobbp**, bookworm, **LadyAdellaid**onyx-jade potter**TortallanShadow,**truffletruffle01**Forget Me Not Blue**NotAfraidToLive**Lady Muck** & TRANSFIGURATION.**

**Kel **Lol! I updated soon so you're gonna have to love me for all eternity! –jokes-

**BlackWidow12**Happy Birthday (well for two days ago!)

**Pie of Doomeh**hehehe, how come you were swimming all day? I love swimming :D

**Yabberli**which ocean are you swimming in? Do you sail or surf or kayak? Sighs…I'm stuck at home, but never mind…:D

**Confusedknight xxx**

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Kel's mind reeled with shock. It sounded as though Vishnaucht was dead. Her immediate thought was panic, but she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand to try to keep herself calm.

_Stay calm, _she told herself severely.

As Kel looked at it she had three options. Either she raise the alarm, provoking awkward questions later, or she could run away into the city and wait for Alex to return; after all with Vishnaucht dead there wasn't much information to be gathered from his household. Her final option was to go back to bed and pretend that nothing had happened.

One thing was clear though; her usefulness in Vishnaucht's house had just expired. With that in mind Kel decided that running away would be the best option. She could do nothing to help Vishnaucht now.

But then her nose caught a whiff of something; was that smoke? As Kel inhaled, the unmistakable smell of burning reached her nostrils. Suddenly a terrible realisation clicked inside Kel's brain.

'…_If you don't have a house then you won't be needing the money…'_

Maggur's associate was going to torch the house, erasing the evidence of Vishnaucht's murder. Kel was filled with anger, killing Vishnaucht was one thing, but dooming his wife, mother, three young children and all of his servants to the same fate was inhumane. She couldn't let it happen.

Springing up, not caring how much noise she made, Kel unsheathed her dagger. As she crossed the kitchen, she heard the unmistakable sound of footfalls upon the wooden floor of the hallway.

Her heart hammering madly, Kel concealed herself behind the slightly ajar kitchen door and waited. Again Kel was faced with a difficult decision. Her initial plan had been to let the murderer go, but as she waited she remembered that the man knew the codes to Vishnaucht's accounts. If he walked free Maggur would receive the large sum of money anyway. It was then that Kel realised what she had to do, what Alex would expect her to do.

As the man stepped through the kitchen door, Kel leapt out and planted a solid punch to the back of his head. The man dropped like a stone. Dragging him into the corner of the kitchen, Kel refused to look at his face. She paused for a moment indecision reigning in her. Then she caught another whiff of acrid smoke; she didn't have time to waste.

_This man was prepared to kill twenty innocent people without so much as batting an eyelid, he works for Maggur, _Kel thought desperately. In the end in was her earlier vision of her friends unprepared on the battle field that swayed her mind. _The war must be delayed. _

And Kel brought her dagger down across his throat in one swift movement; killing him. She stumbled back staring at the blood pooling out of the man's lifeless form, horrified with herself.

Kel tore her eyes away from the sight before her and ran to the servant's quarters.

'Fire, fire,' she screamed, the smell of smoke becoming ever stronger. Kel shut the door to the hatch, hoping to delay the smoke that was now pouring down the hatch and into the kitchen.

Kel ran up the flight of steps, two at a time, shouting all the while and banging her fists upon each door, when she got to the top, she flung open the door to her room and screamed for Haina and Greta to get up.

Satisfied that all the slaves and servants were awake she ran back down the stairs, passing sleepy confused people on her way. With no time to waste Kel pushed past all of the people and returned to the kitchen.

Removing her headscarf and hurriedly dipping it in the half-full sink, Kel tied the dripping piece of material firmly over her mouth and nose. She then ran into the main hall.

The hall was cloudy with smoke and upstairs Kel could see the dancing light of flames from the study; the fire was really starting to take hold.

Up to the first floor she went, bursting into Torrianna's room.

'Get up,' she half screamed, her voice hoarse from the smoke. 'There's a fire, get out,' and half pulling the sleepy woman from her bed, thrust her across the room and out onto the staircase.

Coughing slightly Kel continued on her up the corridor, but as she arrived, she saw that the old woman, Vishnaucht's mother was already awake and hurrying down the corridor towards her.

'Get out,' shouted Kel, 'just go.'

The woman didn't need telling twice and hurried away at a surprising speed for a lady so old.

Kel made her way up to the second floor, where the children's bedrooms were. The two older children were still fast asleep and Kel quickly roused them. Helping them to tie pillow cases around their mouths, she dragged the two terrified children out of the house.

The eldest boy must've been about Kel's age, but he froze, petrified by the clouds of smoke that filled the hall. The girl thankfully seemed to have more sense and took her brother's hand, pulled him forward.

'Run, get out of the house,' screamed Kel.

Eyes streaming with a mixture of smoke and heat, Kel forced herself up to the top floor. The youngest child; a boy of six sat upon his bed, bawling his eyes out.

Kel didn't blame him, as everyone had fled, not even the nursemaid had given a thought to the small boy trapped on his own at the top of the house.

She scooped him up and stumbled back across the room. Coughing like a hag, Kel made her way down the flight of steps. Remembering something that Anders had once taught her she dropped to the ground in search of some smoke free air. The boy, still clinging on was beginning to choke too.

She crawled forward, unable to see anything at all through the dense smoke. Halfway down the second staircase, the searing heat became too intense for her to go on. Through her impaired vision she could see the dancing of flames ahead; the fire had spread to the whole of the first floor. She was trapped.

Despair filling her, Kel placed her hand upon the stair rail to haul herself up and pulled it off, yelping with pain. The banister was red hot meaning that the fire had reached the other end.

With a massive effort Kel stood up, still cradling the little boy who had now become limp in her arms, she ran back up to the nursery and barricaded the door behind her.

It was easier to breathe in here and Kel lay for a few seconds on the floor, gasping like a fish out of water. Leaving the boy lying prone on the floor she stumbled over to a window.

Gloriously fresh air poured in, filling her lungs and giving Kel hope. She wasn't going to die like this; helpless and choking. Gathering up the small child and checking that he was still breathing, albeit shallowly, Kel laid him on the window seat, so that he could inhale the fresh air too.

Aware that she had only minutes before the fire reached them, Kel used her bloody dagger to tear strips off cloth off of the child's bed. She tied them roughly into a harness for him and in turn attached him to her belt.

All too conscious of the dizzying drop beneath them, Kel lowered herself out of the window. Thanking the gods for whoever decided to make creeping vines on trellises fashionable, she found foot and handholds among the creepers and iron trellis.

The boy, still unconscious dangled precariously below her. Praying that the boy wouldn't wake up while he was hanging in midair, she began to climb downwards.

Thorny vines ripped at her already burnt hands, but Kel gritted her teeth and battled onwards. One section of trellis felt dangerously loose beneath her hands, but luck was with her and it held.

The heat that emanated from the windows was enough to make Kel faint, but she hung on grimly, concentrating on putting one foot after the other. When Kel's feet finally hit solid ground, her knees buckled beneath her, but it wasn't over yet.

Smoke was still pouring out of the building and Kel's lungs couldn't take much more. Stumbling up once again with the boy in her arms, she saw Cook hurrying towards her. Kel half ran, half tripped her way forward to the front of the house and onto the street.

There congregated the rest of the household and quite a few nosy neighbours. Many gasped at the sight of Kel, smoke blackened and bloody appearing out of the smoke like an unearthly apparition.

The air was mercifully clean on her burnt lungs and as she reached the gathering of people. Kel pulled the small boy out of his harness, placed him in his mother's arms before surrendering to the blackness which swam at the edges of her vision.

--

Before she knew it, ice cold water was being poured over her head. Spluttering Kel sat up, she tried to breathe but found that her lungs burned and she began to cough.

'There, there,' someone soothed. That someone propped Kel up on a bucket. 'You can't go to sleep; you've got to get some air inside that body. I know it hurts but just concentrate on breathing.'

Dimly Kel recognised the firm but fair voice of cook. After a while, Kel felt a little less light-headed and opened her eyes. They smarted and Kel swore involuntarily in Scanran; something which she had picked up off of Tamil, the head gardener.

Everything hurt; her lungs, throat, eyes, nose, hands and feet, all stung or ached. Cook had removed her makeshift mask and was pouring water down her throat. Gulping greedily, Kel finished up the water and groaned, wanting more.

'We'll just take it steady lass, there's a girl.'

'How in the name of Mithros did you get out of there alive?' asked Cook wonder evident in her voice.

'The Goddess's luck,' smiled Kel, wincing as she sat up further.

A blurry figure handed Cook another beaker of water, which she gently helped Kel to drink. Draining the glass once more, Kel suddenly noticed how cold she was. She began to shiver uncontrollably.

As she sat there, semi-conscious, she remembered everything that had happened in unerring detail. She could remember the man's blood pooling over the flagged paving stones of the kitchen, hear his last rattling breath. She had killed a man.

Then came the memory of the despair, of believing she was going to die. It was all too much. Kel was beyond crying, instead she began to laugh quietly, her giggles turning into hysteria and then into dry racking sobs. But no tears fell, she hiccupped and shook, but not a single tear left her eye.

Cook sat by her, rocking her gently.

'It's just the shock,' she explained quietly to any passers-by. Gradually Kel quietened down and began to mumble incoherently in a blend of Yamani, Common and Scanran.

They all sat in the street until dawn arrived. Kel had dropped off to sleep eventually, her head cradled in Cook's lap, exhausted by the proceedings. When Kel did finally wake up the fire had almost burnt itself out, leaving just a blackened husk of the building it used to be.

Sitting up, she noticed that Cook had gone and so she clambered unsteadily to her feet. There was still a small group of people huddled in the street, although the majority seemed to have dispersed.

'Ah, Lia you're awake,' Cook said.

'Where is everyone?' croaked Kel.

'The Misnauffs, have put up the family for the night, when the Mistress wakes up then she'll decide what to do with us.'

It seemed mightily unfair to Kel that the family had been offered shelter for the night and the servants had just been left on the street, but she said nothing, knowing that the behaviour was nothing unusual.

Kel milled about for an hour or two, talking to Greta, Haina and Marc; the three other slaves. At one point Cook dragged her aside.

'Lia did you know that the Master did not get out of the house?' asked Cook directly.

Kel sighed, sensing that it would be pointless to keep information from Cook, who already seemed to know so much.

'He was dead before the fire even started,' whispered Kel, so that no one else could here.

Cook sighed, 'I expected as much, Vishnaucht was in way over his head.' She seemed to forget that Kel was there for a moment. 'What you just told me remains strictly between the two of us, for all intents and purposes, he died as the result of a tragic accident.'

Kel nodded and left to go and rejoin the other slaves.

'I bet we'll be back to the slave pens,' said Marck glumly. 'That allus happens when things go wrong; the slaves are the first to go.'

And he wasn't far wrong. When Torrianna emerged just after the tenth bell, her eyes red-rimmed and her cheeks tear-stained, she announced that the slaves were to be sold. She told the rest of the staff that they would be moving back to Vishnaucht's mother's house and that only her ladies maid, the governess, Cook and the head Gardener would be accompanying them.

'So what happens to the rest of the servants?' asked Kel. 'Where do they go?'

'They just have to apply for another job.' Greta shrugged, 'at least they can choose there masters. I hate going to the pens, you could get landed with a really bad master.'

'What about me?' asked Kel, 'I already have a master, I'm on loan.'

This time it was Haina who shrugged.

'You'll probably be held for a couple of weeks and then if he doesn't turn up you'll be sold on.'

An hour later, a chain attaching them by the collar at their necks, the four slaves were trudging down to the slave pens, a smartly-dressed, yellow-toothed man leading them.

Kel was still dressed in the same shirt and dress that she'd been wearing the night before, albeit that they were now stained with soot and torn from her climb down the trellis.

She had gotten rid of her belt and the makeshift harness earlier that morning. Kel had also left her dagger and it's sheath inside the burning house; slaves weren't meant to have weapons after all.

Haina was snuffling behind her, whether from her illness of because she was crying Kel didn't know. Greta held her head high stubbornly and Marck trudged along in silence, his pose dejected.

Kel felt humiliated, walking along like a dog in a collar through the streets of Hamrkeng. Of course it wasn't that she was embarrassed of people seeing her in this way; she didn't really know anyone here anyway. But it was the fact that she was being treated no better than an animal.Eventually they reached the slave pens.

'I've got three for resale and one for holding,' called the man in clipped tones.

The door opened to admit them and they were ushered into a side room. The slaver handed his smart, red coat to one of the servants by the door and disappeared out of sight through a side door.

A big man, with massive hands and a thick, pudgy neck walked over to them.

'We've gotta git you cleaned up,' he said, with a slight lisp to his voice. 'Please don't try any funny stuff, or it'll be the worse for ye.'

He unlocked the chain that joined them together and instead attached individual, small but longer chains to their collars.

'Follow me,' he grunted.

They were led into a large room which had a rectangular bath set in the middle of the floor.

'Git ye clothes off and put 'em in the crate 'ere,' he instructed.

Greta, Haina and Marck had obviously all been through this process and Kel tried to look as though it were the same for her too.

She fought to hide her blush as she removed her dress, shirt, shoes and underclothes, until she stood there, completely bare, wearing only the iron collar.

When all four of them were ready, the man gestured to the bath.

'Off ye go then,' and he grabbed Kel's arm, dragging her towards it and pushing her in.

The bath was very long, quite thin in width and very deep. Kel struggled to stand in it as she gasped for air. The bath water was stone cold and smelt horribly of disinfectant. The mixture of the cold and disinfectant fumes hurt her already damaged lungs and her eyes stung.

'Git movin' then,' said the man, prodding Kel with a stick.

Kel realised that she probably had to splash her way to the end, by which time she would be clean. It reminder her of something she had seen Yamani farmers do to their sheep. It had been called 'sheep-dipping' and had been used to kill any bugs in their woollen coats.

The disinfectant also stung at her cuts and burns, but Kel gritted her teeth and moved slowly forwards, her heavy chain making everything twice as difficult. Behind her she heard a yelp as someone else entered the pool.

'Make sure ye clean yer hair too,' he called. So Kel clamped her mouth shut, pinched her nose tightly with her unburned hand and ducked. The cold pressed in all around her for a few seconds and then she surfaced, trying to wipe the water out of her stinging eyes.

When she reached the end she hauled herself out and stood shivering, trying to cover herself with her arms.

Once the man had ensured that Marck and Haina were also making their way down the pool he came over to Kel. He picked up a large bucket, dunked it into a trough and poured the contents over Kel.

This water, like the bathwater was also freezing cold, but it didn't have any of the tangy smell of disinfectant. When Kel wiped this water out of her eyes, she noticed that he was openly staring at her scar.

Uncomfortable she shifted, aware that there was nothing for her to cower behind. After a few seconds he moved on to Haina, who had just climbed out of the bath, followed by Greta and Marck.

Next the four of them were each handed a rough towel with which to dry themselves. Finally they were handed a loincloth, shirt, breastband for Haina and Greta and a skirt. The clothes were worn and ill-fitting, Kel's being far too large for her skinny form, but at least it was something to escape from the scrutiny of the guard's and her fellow slave's gazes.

Marck was the first to get dressed and still looking slightly drowned from his bath, headed towards the door. At the door, there was another man with a book. Marck rolled up his sleeve to show the guard something and he was allowed to pass. Greta and Haina did the same. Unsure, Kel hung back.

'Git a move on will ye,' prompted the man who had been in charge of cleaning them.

Kel reluctantly made her way forward.

'Number?' asked the guard.

'Pardon?' asked Kel stupidly.

'Your number,' said the guard, 'what is it?'

Kel looked at him blankly and the guard sighed. A second guard came up behind Kel and grabbed her roughly. He yanked the large sleeve of her shirt back to reveal her upper arm. He exchanged a glance with his colleague.

'I'm Lia,' said Kel hesitantly, 'I belong to a private master-'

'Yes we know,' said the guard impatiently. 'Juan, take her to be sorted out.'

Kel didn't like the sound of being 'sorted out', but she allowed herself to be led by Juan, the guard with the lisp.

He led her down so many twisted corridors that it was impossible for Kel to remember them all. She contented herself by trying to form a mental map of the place. She knew that there were at least three floors and four separate blocks. As they neared the end of their journey Juan led her down another flight of steps into an enclosed room with no windows. It was lit solely by the light of a fire.

As she drew closer to the fire and the man sitting there, she realised what was going on and began to struggle.

'Oh no ye don't,' said Juan firmly and lifted the squirming Kel onto a bench which looked disturbingly like a healer's work bench back at the Palace, except for this bench was carved roughly from wood.

As she struggled, thick straps were placed over her back, lower legs and her neck. These straps were tightened until she couldn't move. She was lying face down, her head turned awkwardly to the right and the only part of her body which she could move was her arms. A strip of hardened leather was then placed inside her mouth.

Juan then took hold of her left arm and pulled it out to an awkward angle, at ninety degrees to Kel's body. Kel then felt another strap tightening around her wrist until she couldn't move that arm either.

Her shirt sleeve was rolled up to the shoulder and she felt a pair of massive hands clamping her arm even more firmly, one at the elbow and the second at the shoulder.

She could sense the second man moving around, and heard him pick something up. A second later a searing pain flared across Kel's arm. She allowed herself to scream, not bothering to try to conceal her emotions; knowing that this pain would've had full grown men screaming.

Again another brand was placed to Kel's arm and her renewed scream filled the dungeon. It was too much for Kel to take in after the night she'd had. By the time the fifth number was burnt into her skin, she didn't even bother to scream, instead she just lay there gritting her teeth on the piece of leather, numb from head to foot, aware of only the pain in her left arm.

She dimly noticed that she was being untied and carried away by Juan. Eventually she was dumped unceremoniously in a cell which already contained four other women.

The women ignored her, chattering away in what sounded like Tyran, not paying any attention to the small heap of a girl lying in their cell.

Kel shifted slowly until she was curled into a ball on her right side, removing any pressure from her left arm. She allowed herself to have half an hour of weakness, sobbing slightly as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Kel slept for the remainder of the day, allowing her brain to recover from the shock of the last twenty four hours.

When she woke, she tried to ask the women when they were fed, but was rewarded with blank looks so she gave up. Sitting quietly in her corner of the cell, she steeled herself and carefully lifted up her shirt sleeve. She winced and almost cried out as she peeled the cotton away from the burnt skin until her shirt was rolled all the way up. Taking a deep breath Kel looked down at her arm. Branded across her arm in small figures, burnt into her skin was;

**L0258**

It wasn't a big mark; about two inches long and half an inch high, but Kel couldn't take her eyes off of it. It was another thing that would be with her for the rest of her life; however long that may be. _At this rate not very long, _said Kel thinking of her close escape from death only hours previously.

Of course Kel knew that over the years the ugly black characters would fade to white scarring, but it would be ever with her as a reminder of how she was once a slave; led like a dog, bathed like a sheep, branded like cattle and left in the straw like a pig.

* * *

It took several days for Kel to feel a bit more like herself. Her eyes were the first things to recover and her lungs were feeling a lot better, although Kel suspected it would be a while before they felt completely normal. All the small cuts on her hands had scabbed over. The only two vivid souvenirs from her "adventure" were her two burns; one on her right hand, the other branded into her left arm.

_I'm getting quite a collection of scars, _thought Kel, thinking of her chest and the lined scars on her back from where she had been whipped just before she met Alex.

The women who shared a cell with her, gradually became more friendly. At first Kel hadn't a clue what they were saying, but if she listened carefully, the Tyran language was quite similar to Scanran.

Bored, with nothing else to do, they began to teach each other. Kel taught them basic Scanran and they in turn taught her basic Tyran. Kel learnt that they had been slaves in Tyra for four years, but had only just been transferred to Scanra. There was an eighteen year-old, one seventeen year-old and two ladies in their early twenties.

Kel lied and told them that she was fourteen, which they seemed to believe, despite Kel's obvious lack of a womanly shape.

Kel had quickly discovered that life as a slave in the holding pens was boring. Kel was obviously waiting for Alex, praying everyday that he'd come to free her before she got sold on. The four women were being held because they had already been bought, but their new master wanted to pick them up after a journey to Dundine.

After four days of recuperation, Kel was itching to do some exercise. She hated being cooped up and paced for hours around their cell. That afternoon Kel had a visitor.

'Cook!' exclaimed Kel surprised, 'what are you doing here?'

'I've just come to buy Greta,' she replied, 'fortunately for me, she hadn't been sold like Marck and Haina have. I told the mistress that I couldn't possibly hope to run a kitchen without some aid and after a few…substandard meals, she saw sense.' Cook looked at Kel critically. 'I'm sorry that I couldn't take you as well, but I knew that you'd soon be moving on with Alexei.'

'I'll be fine, don't worry about me,' said Kel, inwardly glad that at least Greta was going back to a good position.

'Well then, I must be getting back to my work. I'm sure that we see each other again Lia, you just keep safe.'

Kel smiled crookedly.

'Me…get into trouble?' she said innocently.

Cook laughed and left without a backwards glance. Kel sighed as she sat down, wishing that Alex would come soon.

Whether by fate or chance, her wish was answered and the next day, Kel was being towed out of the Slave pens by Alex.

'Don't look too pleased to see me,' he whispered as they passed the guards.

Kel allowed herself to be led away, expression blank, quashing down the relief and happiness inside her.

When they returned to Alex's room and the door was locked firmly behind them, Kel flung herself onto Alex. He returned the hug, laughing happily.

'I missed you,' he said unabashed.

Kel murmured her agreement.

He held her at arms length, as though to examine her. Kel winced as his hand touched her left arm. Alex noticed and carefully rolled up her sleeve. Catching sight of the brand, which was oozing slightly he looked up at her, remorse plain in his eyes.

'I'm sorry Kel,' he said.

'Don't be,' said Kel shortly.

They made eye contact and no more was said on the subject. Instead Alex got out some of his creams and bandaged Kel's arm. It felt ten times less painful once cleaned and smeared with a liberal amount of pain-relieving cream.

'So,' Alex said once he'd finished, 'care to explain why I return to find Vishnaucht's house a ruin and you in a slave pen?'

Kel sighed and began her tale. She told of how she had overheard Vishnaucht's murder. When she got to the part about her killing the man, her voice choked.

'I had no choice,' she said, eyes filled with shame.

'You did the right thing,' Alex assured her with a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. 'Thanks to you, Maggur does not have control of that money.'

'Seven-three-zero-four-seven-two, and four-five-two-eight-nine,' said Kel.

'What?'

'The codes for Vishnaucht's accounts, seven-three-zero-four-seven-two and-'

Kel was interrupted by a laugh of glee from Alex.

'So not only does Maggur not have the money, but we do!' exclaimed Alex.

As Kel continued to describe how the fire had quickly taken hold Alex's expression darkened. Kel was unsure how to tell about her heroic rescue of the youngest boy, so she just left it at,

'I shouted and screamed and woke everybody up.'

That night Kel ate like a king. Alex took her slave collar off and they dined at a popular restaurant in the lower city. After three months of small portions or leftovers it was heaven to Kel. She fell asleep warm, full and content; something which she appreciated more than ever as the outside temperatures dropped below freezing.

The next day Alex asked Kel if she was ready to begin her daily fencing lessons. Kel agreed hurriedly and, being wary of her bandaged hand and arm, she began to warm up.

Alex ran through all of the drills that she had been practising and commented on her improvement. Their swords became a blur as Alex increased their practise speed to a whole new level.

To them swordplay was an art, a precision, not just a way to defend yourself or beat an opponent. Each blow was perfectly executed and matched by a perfect block. Halfway through the "heron" drill, there was a knock at the door.

The person outside knocked three times, one loud, one soft, followed by another loud knock. They halted their practise and Kel made to hide her sword but Alex shook his head.

'It's a friend,' he said simply.

He opened the door to reveal,

'Cook?!?' said Kel in surprise.

This time it was Cook who seemed more astonished however to see Kel standing there.

Cook stepped inside and locked the door behind her.

'Am I interrupting anything?' she asked.

'Nothing that can't be interrupted,' replied Alex.

Kel sat, grabbing a cloth and proceeding to polish her blade absent-mindedly.

Cook however was staring at Kel. This girl had been working for months in her own kitchen and get she barely recognised her. _There's something different about her, _thought the Cook.

It wasn't simply that Kel was dressed in shirt and breeches with her hair tied up out of the way, naked sword in her hand. But that she held herself differently. Kel looked more confident, more relaxed here.

'I did say that it wouldn't be the last time we met Lia,' said Cook smiling. 'However I will admit that I wasn't expecting it to be quite this soon. Having a lesson are we?' she said, gesturing to the fact that Alex's sword was still out as well.

Kel nodded.

'Come on then, let's see how it's going.' Kel suddenly realised that Cook was expecting her to duel Alex.

'I'm not very good,' she said hurriedly, 'Alex always wins-'

Cook laughed,

'The day you beat Alex is the day that you're well on your way to becoming a legend. He's the best. I don't think I've ever seen anyone best him before.'

Wondering as to when a cook from Hamrkeng would ever have seen Alex fight, Kel got up.

'A free duel?' she asked.

'A free duel,' Alex confirmed.

They bowed to each other and began to fight. Their blades met each other, whipping round at lightning speed and each twisting away. Neither of them were holding back; it was swordplay at it's most finest.

Alex attacked like a whirlwind, clearly dominating the duel, but Kel held her own, allowing him to gain little ground and executing her own attacks ever now and again. They feinted, lunged and dodged as the duel became even more intense.

Kel spotted a tiny opening in Alex's defence and took it, the next thing she knew, her sword was being wrenched from her hand and it clattered away across the room, Alex's sword point at her nose.

'Well fought,' said Alex, clapping Kel on the back. 'That move there I think will be the next one I teach you. Your feints are all perfect and will fool a lesser swordsman, but when you know that you're fencing against someone good, the "glimpse" feint is highly effective. I gave you a tiny opening, so small that you thought it was just a natural mistake, then I anticipated your move…' Alex smiled at his young charge, 'you've improved so much, you really have.'

Kel glowed with pride. Cook watched this exchange and couldn't help but feeling a sense of familiarity about it. She frowned, puzzled at this feeling. Putting it out of her mind she smiled at the obvious affection that the two in front of her had for each other. It was almost as though they were brother and sister…then it hit her…

'So…' said Alex, 'what brings you here?'

'I overheard something which I think you'll find interesting,' said Cook.

Just then she was interrupted by Kel having a coughing fit.

'Are you sure you should really be exercising this much?' asked Cook casting a critical eye over Kel.

'What do you mean?' asked Alex puzzled.

'Well she inhaled an awful lot of smoke last Thursday,' seeing Alex's continued confusion, she added, 'when she rescued Samil.'

Alex turned questioningly to Kel, who had the decency to blush slightly.

'Oh she didn't tell you then,' said Cook. 'After waking us all up she charges upstairs to check that the family all got out safely. Then she realised that the youngest boy Samil is still on the third floor, so in she charges, right to the top of the house to try and get him out. I don't know what happened in there, she was inside the house for ages, and it's a miracle she even got out alive. Then just once we think that there is no way that they could still be alive, we see her climbing out of a third-storey window, Samil dangling below her.'

Alex stared at Kel.

'She probably saved us all that night,' said Cook.

Kel shifted uncomfortably under Alex's stare,

'It wasn't a big deal…'

Alex shook his head exasperatedly.

'You saved twenty people Kel, of course it's a big deal.'

'And I killed one,' Kel reminded him, looking at the floor.

'Who did you kill?' asked Cook interestedly, 'is that how you got that split lip?'

'She killed the man who murdered Vishnaucht,' explained Alex.

'Good riddance too,' said Cook bluntly.

'Who split your lip?' asked Alex.

'What is this? Let's interrogate Kel time?' said Kel grumpily.

'Kel?' said Cook confused.

'She's Kel,' said Alex pointing to his disgruntled friend.

'The split lip?' he prompted.

'There was a gang of boys beating up a child,' said Kel, 'I couldn't just ignore them.'

Alex shook his head, half wonderingly, half despairingly.

'See what I have to put up with?'

'It's not fair that people are treated in that way,' said Kel.

'Not it's not,' Alex agreed seriously this time. 'You just seem to manage to find so many people to protect, that's all.'

Kel shrugged, 'There will always be people who need protecting, I just do something about it that's all.'

'And who protects you?' asked Alex.

'I can look after myself,' Kel shrugged.

'I don't doubt that,' said Alex, but there was a troubled look in his eyes.

Cook broke the awkward silence.

'So, are you ready for my interesting piece of information yet?'

'Yes, of course,' said Alex.

'I heard it from a reliable source that Stenmun and some of Maggur's big followers are going to meet in a town near Sekholm next month. They'll be inspecting the mines there and recruiting for the army.'

Alex turned to Kel, his handsome grin fully in place.

'Fancy going to visit Sekholm?'

* * *

**(-a/n- **Wowee! Super long chapter, and a super quick update! You guys had better give me some super long reviews! Lol. I've been sitting on the sofa, on my dad's laptop all day writing this (well not all day, but many, many hours!) Seriously though I do love to know what you think of my writing so please just leave a review, it doesn't take long!)

**Confusedknight xxx**


	24. Snowy travels

**(-a/n- **Sorry, sorry, sorry! Blame J.K. Rowling for releasing her seventh book; I haven't been able to think of anything other that Harry Potter for weeks because I've been so excited. Thanks for the amazing review response for the last chapter, I was blown away! You really can't know how much I love to read all your reviews :D It makes me a very, very happy person :P

Firstly, Kel and Alex are not related :P And secondly thanks to everyone who explained what Independence day was, I feel very educated know :P) Finally before I continue I wanted to mention that I'm a member of **Group Askew **and have just written the third chapter in our chain story Eldorne's Atonement, so if you wanna check that out sometime it would be great :D )

**kulash**, Transfiguration, **LadyKnightSusan**, the. dead. addict, **Uncertian Destiny**, **Tsumetai** **Taiyoukai**, **Right or Ryn**, ShadowofScribe**Night-Player**, Ayswen, **SeriousPiper**, BlackWidow12, **Nyleve**, Golden23, **Orohippus**, seyyada, **NotAfraidToLive**, SarahE7191, **insane-i don't think so** mangolady, **hyperbookworm**, Tranquil Insanity**K.D. Rai**, Pie of Doomeh, **SOPROL**, Hunchbook, **ShadowDancer181**, Elentariel, **Erynfaer**, Yabberli, **epobbp**, Rycr, **ella plain and simple**, bookworm, **bookworm-4-ever2012** queenofthehostlers, **Grace of Masbolle** sheko, **Kel**, CelticGoddess09, **Dark Emo Shadow**, x17SkmBdrchiczxx**JaBoyYa**, Amy**ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS**, Enno Vy**nightwisp**, sabriellyn, **Aly the Spy** summer, **Ashen**, mylovelyminion, **truffletruffle01**, ThJaFl, **Sushiandmanga**, Amaya130, **b****Bobboky**, Michi, **inhuman grace** darkakane, **Galaen** LB, **Dowop,** Waiting To Be Inspired, **Macko** & darkjewelledassassin.

**Lady Muck** nope, I'm just making it all up! Lol. I had a go at fencing years ago on a holiday camp but I was rubbish –I kept getting poked in the stomach by my friend. Anyway…

**TheBrassPotato**: Fuzzy reviews are fine by me!

**zeurin**Thanks! I think the "Protector" series is my favourite…although it's really hard to decide. Kel is definitely my favourite character to write though :D (As you might've guessed!)

**Frog's princess**I know what you mean about music learning techniques! Lol. Practise, practise, practise, but then I guess it's the same as anything you want to improve in. What music do you do? I play the flute :D

**neverlife**: No. Alex was originally going to be some kind of guardsman or warrior but whilst skiing I had a brainwave and thought that making him a spy would be sooo much cooler! Lol.

**I love Fallen**!: Unfortunately I've know idea how I did in my exams, we have to wait for results day which is August 23rd…:(

**Dante Inferno**: Yes I've got plans for after the tournament but you'll have to wait and see :P

**GuitarBlonde**: GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education or something similar…Basically they're the exams you sit at the age of 16, that are set by the Government :S

**AlannaandGeorge4ever**: The only reason I use 'these' instead of "these" is that 'these' are easier to reach on a keyboard! Lol. Also J.K.Rowling uses 'these' which I noticed when reading Deathly hallows, man that is a good book!

**On top of cloud 9**: Man you can learn to drive! I have to wait until I'm 17 ;( How's it going? I'm terrified of being trusted in a car! Lol!

**Confusedknight xxx**

**

* * *

**

Despite the icy wind that was howling through the valley and the flurries of tiny snowflakes that it was bringing Kel was in high spirits. She felt free from all of the pretence that been slowly suffocating her over the past few weeks.

Atop a sturdy horse, whose shaggy coat and large hooves made it an ideal mount for the harsh conditions in which they were traveling; she rode alongside Alex on Prince.

Traveling up North in December wasn't the easiest of journeys and for this reason Kel and Alex found themselves alone on what little road could be found beneath the covering of snow. This suited their purposes however and allowed them to talk freely for hours on end.

It was also fortunate that Alex knew exactly where they were heading, because Kel didn't have a clue. The drifts of powdery white snow had obliterated any sign of a path or trail, muffling the landscape, which made it hard to see exactly how far they had come; as all of their surroundings looked identical.

Kel shivered, it was just over three weeks till Midwinter and the further North they progressed, the harsher the weather became. Kel had heard tell of the arid Northern tundra, mountains that reached up to the sky and almighty glaciers.

Both riders were wrapped up in several layers. First came the shirt and underclothes, covered by a fleece-lined leather jacket and trousers. On top of that they wore fleece-lined boots, mittens and hat. For extra warmth they each wore a padded jumper, fur-lined cloak and a headscarf wrapped around their face to deflect the worst of the icy wind.

Despite all of her clothing Kel was really beginning to feel cold now and the snow falling from the ever darkening sky was getting heavier. Kel had never used to mind the cold much, but after almost freezing to death earlier on in the year, the bone-deep chill was bringing back unwelcome memories.

Just when Kel felt as though she was about to die from cold the shapes of buildings loomed suddenly out of nowhere.

Alex considered the buildings for a second or two before dismounting and hurrying over to one. Kel followed suit and as she clambered off of her horse, her legs sunk into the knee-deep snow.

The man conversed briefly with Alex before coins were exchanged and then he motioned for Alex and Kel to go around the back.

Her teeth chattering violently, Kel stabled the horse, brushing snow out of it's mane and tail before throwing a rug over it's back. With Alex's supporting hand on her back to guide her, they entered the Inn.

The warm air hit Kel in a wave and she stood for a moment, her face tingling.

'Come on little one,' said Alex firmly, 'let's get you warmed up.'

Kel allowed herself to be led upstairs. There was a fire already burning merrily in the grate, filling the room with warmth and dancing light. Alex peeled away Kel's outer layers and threw a blanket over her shoulders.

Kel staggered towards the fire, and sat down, basking in its warm glow whilst Alex got changed in the privy. She was utterly exhausted and when it was her turn to use the privy, it took all of her determination to leave the fire.

Once changed into a clean shirt, breeches, fur-lined boots and a warm sweater, Kel plonked herself back in front of the fire. Alex joined her a minute later and together they sat, enjoying the heat.

'Remind me why we are traveling in Scanra, in winter?' Kel asked with a groan.

'And you thought that Tortallan winters were bad,' said Alex smirking. 'Anyway the good thing about all this snow, is that Maggur's armies will all be bedded down for the winter-'

'Like any sane person should be,' muttered Kel.

'So this a perfect time for us to get inside the clans and find out what is really happening.'

For the last couple of months all of Maggur's attentions had been firmly on the alliance between Sekholm and Rokang, so it made sense that in spring, those would be the first clans that he would target. By arriving a couple of months beforehand, Alex felt that he had a chance to try and subtly forewarn the clans, delaying Maggur's advance. There were also rumours about the good-for-nothing Stenmun Kinslayer and what he was getting up to in the North.

Kel and Alex had journeyed in a north-easterly direction and had passed fief Rathhausak two days previously. Kel had been surprised to find see Rathhausak castle silhouetted against the sky, unaware that the clans had such buildings. Alex had informed her that the main base for the Rathhausak clan had settled on the site about twenty years ago, and since then saw no reason to move and the land had become a fiefdom.

Staring deep into the flames Kel savoured the warmth, knowing that the next day would be yet another day spent in sub-zero temperatures.

'I've been thinking,' said Alex slowly, also entranced by the flames, 'that the time has come to leave the horses behind.' Kel looked up at him quizzically. 'We'll continue by sled,' explained Alex.

'Oh,' said Kel quietly.

'I assume that you've never traveled by sled before?' said Alex.

Kel nodded, her mind suddenly full of images that she'd only seen in story books of great dogs bounding across ice floes.

'If we use a sled, we'll cover more ground per day and should arrive within the next week and a half. Which will leave us plenty of time to get settled and we can start work in earnest just after Midwinter.'

Precisely what the 'earnest work' was, Kel wasn't too sure, but she knew that Alex would tell her when she needed to know and to be honest she was too weary to care about anything at all just then.

After eating a hurried meal of warm casserole and freshly baked bread, Kel buried herself under a pile of blankets and fell asleep almost immediately on her soft pallet.

One upside to all of their exhausting journeying was that Kel's nightmares did not disturb her slumber. She slept so deeply that she didn't dream at all.

* * *

When Kel was shaken gently awake it was still dark outside, although this did not reflect on the time as the days were short and the nights long in winter's grip.

Kel opened her bleary eyes and saw Alex was already dressed and ready to leave. Alex looked as awake and as alert as ever, but Kel could see the deep shadows below his hazel eyes, the eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond the years of his young face. Kel knew that he, like she, could do with several hours more sleep.

'We need to get going; Rinicht is just readying the sled.'

Kel forced her stiff limbs into movement and extracted herself from her warm nest. She was still wearing the shirt and breeches from the previous night and not bothering to change, began to put on the extra layers that Alex handed her. All of her gear had sent the night drying in front of the fire and was therefore toasty warm.

Fully dressed Kel picked up her sword, her mitten-clad fingers fumbling to strap it to her waist. Seeing that she was ready to leave, Alex picked up their packs that lay waiting next to the door and Kel followed him down into the dark, starless night.

It had stopped snowing but Kel and Alex had to wade through great drifts of snow just to reach the other end of the village. Despite carrying their packs Alex used his free arm to steady Kel and at one point heave her up as she tripped over.

They reached the far end of the village within minutes, guided by the distant glowing light of two lanterns. As they drew closer Kel could see that the lanterns were attached to the sled.

From the bright glow cast out, Kel could see a thin but long sled, rigged to five pairs of shaggy grey dogs, all of whom were fidgeting, eager to be off. Each dog was the size of a wolf but there was nothing aggressive about their demeanor.

There was already a bundle of supplies strapped tightly to the sled and Alex secured their packs on top of the others. He conferred in undertones with the owner of the sled whilst Kel stood patiently, watching the dogs sniff and paw each other.

'We'll get going,' said Alex. 'I'm going to sit you on here for now,' he said. 'I want you to try and get some sleep. Later on when it gets light I'll teach you how to drive.'

The man, who Kel presumed was lending them the sled, picked up something from the ground and unfurled what looked like a bed roll, made of thick material and sewn together on three sides.

Alex helped Kel into it and then lifted her onto the front of the sled. The other men then attached a piece of canvas to the front of the sled, tying it in place. It attached to the front and halfway up the sides, forming a tent under which Kel could shelter.

Peeking her head out, Kel watched Alex climb up onto the supplies and settle himself in a comfortable position; leaning on their packs for support.

Alex thanked the man for his kindness.

'It was an honour, an honour,' said the man with a bow. 'May the gods all guide you on your journey.'

'We'll see you at the end of February,' Alex replied, inclining his head slightly and with a piercing whistle they took off, smoothly gliding through the snow.

Kel yawned. Unable to see much of the landscape she ducked beneath the canvas. Making herself as comfortable as possible in the confined space she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Kel woke it took her a few seconds to remember exactly where she was. Uncurling herself she poked her head out of her makeshift tent into dazzling sunlight. Blinking she twisted around. Alex was smiling down at her.

'Had a good rest?' he asked.

Kel nodded, taking in for the first time her surroundings. It was a breath-taking sight. The land had leveled out and Kel could see for miles. All was covered in snow that sparkled in the early morning sun. Everywhere she looked was just a white plain stretching around them.

Despite the sun that shone in the brilliant blue sky the temperature was still very cold and the air that rushed by as they hurtled onwards make her eyes water. They were traveling at an incredible pace, much faster than they had on horseback. The powerful, muscular dogs pounded onwards, their tails aloft, reveling in the chance to be out of their kennels.

'There's some food in that bag if you want it,' said Alex, without taking his eyes off of the horizon.

Kel rummaged around and found some beef jerky which she ate, offering a piece to Alex who declined. As she ate, she looked up at his face. Alex's cheeks were pink from cold but his eyes seemed to shine in their sockets. This was freedom; this was witnessing the raw beauty of nature. No words were needed; Kel sat on the sled, unable to remove her eyes from the landscape before them. Never had she seen anything so beautiful.

At around midday Alex whistled again and the dogs slowed, eventually allowing the sled to stop dead. Kel wiggled out from underneath the canvas and stretched her legs. Alex was freeing the dogs, allowing them to romp in the snow and relieve themselves.

Kel and Alex settled on the sled. The food that they traveled with was full of energy but not particularly tasteful, nevertheless both tucked into their food without delay.

Finishing his mouthful Alex gazed about.

'You can never get used to a place like this,' he said softly. 'But beware; it's as deadly as it is beautiful. One wrong move out here will get you killed. This afternoon I'll teach you the most important points of surviving, ones which it is essential you learn and remember.'

Kel nodded. Although he did not say it, Kel knew that he had to teach her, so that if something happened to Alex she had a chance of surviving. They finished their meal in silence, sobered by Alex's words of warning.

'First thing you need to know is how to work the sled,' said Alex getting up.

He proceeded to show her how to harness in the ten dogs. It wasn't difficult but the dogs had to be in the correct places. The two "leaders" were trained to be at the front, just as the two "wheel" dogs at the back were strong and powerful to pull the sled out of the snow. Alex told Kel that all the dogs were trained to build up their stamina and could run for hours on end.

He continued to teach her the verbal commands that the dogs would respond to, as well as various whistles or physical indicators such as tapping them on the shoulder with the long willow stick. Alex taught her that the dogs would navigate minor obstacles by themselves but it was essential for one person to be keeping an eye out for hazards at all times.

Kel spent a very enjoyable afternoon driving the sled, using the sun's position as a guide to help her navigate. Alex supervised, but the dogs were so well trained that it wasn't a difficult job.

About two and a half hours later, Alex told Kel that they needed to stop. Whistling to let the dogs know, Kel looked at Alex confused; they had at least an hour and a half left of daylight. She mentioned this to Alex who laughed.

'You've got a lot to learn little one,' he said. 'It's going to take us that long to build a camp.'

Kel's eyes opened in surprise. As the sled came to a halt, Alex explained.

'On these plains we're completely exposed to the elements. Our camp will be the thing that keeps us alive until the morning. As soon as that sun sets the temperature will plummet and we'll need all the shelter that we can get. If our camp is made properly we should be able to outlast anything the weather throws at us, but you hear too many stories of poorly made camps being destroyed by the wind, leaving the people to freeze to death.'

Kel shuddered; she'd almost frozen to death once and was not keen to repeat the experience.

Together they began to un-harness the dogs. Once the final dog had been set loose, Alex rummaged on the sledge and bought out two short handled, but wide-headed shovels.

'We need to dig a shallow trench here,' said Alex, drawing a line in the snow with his shovel. He passed Kel the second shovel and together they began to shift the loose snow.

When a satisfactory trench had been dug, they both straightened up. Kel watched as Alex removed the rest of the supplies from the sled. He then dragged the sled and tipped it up into the shallow trench. It now stood on it's side and Kel realised suddenly why they had dug the trench where they had.

'It's a wind break,' she said. Alex nodded in confirmation.

'But it needs more work doing to it than that,' said Alex. 'We need to build the snow up on either side to make it stable, and we also need to enlarge the windbreak.'

An hour of hard digging later, Kel surveyed the result. They had dug a protective, semi-circular barrier. Having used the snow from the middle had made it deeper still. Alex smiled, obviously satisfied with their work.

'Now we just need to set up our shelter.'

He extracted from the pile of supplies the largest looking bundle and extracted a large piece of canvas which he threw into their hollow. Alex also extracted food for the dogs. Whilst the dogs were guzzling hungrily on the meat, Alex jumped into the hollow and arranged the canvas.

It wasn't a tent, for no poles held it up –Kel presumed it would be too susceptible to strong winds if this was the case. Instead it was simply a huge sheet of canvas. Alex crawled underneath it, dragging their remaining packs. Kel followed.

'This is a survival shelter,' said Alex gesturing around at the unimpressive expanse of canvas under which they were sitting. 'It's incredibly simple. We and the dogs will get under here and I pull on this cord,' Alex indicated a leather string, 'and it will tighten underneath us. Our body heat will keep us warm.'

'What about our bed rolls?' asked Kel, surveying the snowy floor.

'Once this is tightened there should be space for us to pull parts of the canvas underneath us. We've got waterproof bedrolls anyway,' replied Alex handing Kel her dinner rations.

Twenty minutes later Kel and Alex were tucked inside their bed rolls, sharing their shelter with ten dogs. The dogs, who were no doubt used to sheltering like this, settled down without fuss and one had even sneaked up to lie beside Kel.

In the fading light Kel could just make out Alex's face, his eyes glazed, staring at something only he could see.

Kel lay on her right side facing Alex; if she lay on her back the canvas draped itself across her face and to her left was the warm form of one of the lead dogs. It was early despite the near pitch darkness, was Alex expecting her to sleep?

Her question was answered as Alex said quietly but distinctly,

'I used to take my younger brother sledding.'

Kel was stunned. Alex was a very private person as indeed she herself was and he had never given her any information about his past.

'How old was he?' she ventured.

'Ten when I last saw him,' said Alex, his voice oddly thick. 'Younger than you I think, but oh so similar.'

Kel was unsure of how to respond. Inside she was buzzing with any information about the man whom she'd come to love and trust as an older brother, but she could sense that great hurt had been done and that Alex's wounds were still sore. _Not dissimilar to my own situation,_ thought Kel.

'He's dead,' said Alex roughly.

'I'm sorry,' Kel replied, uncertainly. For what could she say?

'Out of all my siblings he was the one whom I was closest to, despite our age difference. He had such empathy and compassion, such enthusiasm for everything he did. You're so alike. I've seen it in you from the day we first met and you asked me to teach you to fight.'

Kel squirmed inside, unable to respond. Now that night had truly fallen, any warmth evaporated from the air and Kel was truly grateful for the warm, solid presence of the dog at her back.

'I'm sorry,' said Alex abruptly, 'I didn't mean to burden you…' he trailed off.

'If you ever want to talk…,' said Kel, trailing off like Alex, feeling that he would understand what she had been trying to say.

'And the same to you,' said Alex, reaching across to find her hand in the dark and giving it a quick squeeze.

Kel lay in the dark for a long while thinking things over and judging by the lack of deep-breathing from Alex's bed she was not the only one who was doing so. Kel thought of Neal, Lucie, her parents and so many others whom she missed fiercely. _But at least they're still alive, _she thought. _I can see them again and I __**will **__see them again._

* * *

**(-a/n- **I know that it was a filler chapter, but I hope you liked that juicy titbit on Alex's past :P (You'll know the whole story eventually, just be patient :P) Please review and tell me what you think, I'll update sooner if you do :P )

**Confusedknight xxx**


	25. Sekholm

**(-a/n**- Reviews broke the **1000** mark! Yippee! Whoo! You've absolutely no idea how happy I am :D Despite this late update, I have not been completely inactive. I've spent several hours just sitting down and finalising plot details :D which only adds to my excitement as I know the best is yet to come! I'm sorry about the lack of updates but I've been on holiday. However I did take my Dad's laptop with me and therefore have several chapters typed up. Once I've spell-checked them I'll upload, so look out for speedy updates ;D

Once again thanks to all the truly lovely people who review :D

Just one thing though, I was looking on my stats the other day and over 230 people have this fic on "story alert" so that means that 230 emails are being sent every time I update, so why do these people not review? If you haven't reviewed please leave one, even just a single sentence will encourage me and I do love hearing from everyone :D Anyway enough of the nagging…)

**TheBrassPotato**, Hasamaki, **SarahE7191**, ThJaFl, **Grace of Masbolle**, SavingSaturn, **Uncertian Destiny**, the. dead. addict., **BlackWidow12**, epobbp, **ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS**, Yabberli, **Michi**, deathequalsoul, **inhuman grace**, onyx-jade potter, **Transfiguration,** Tsumetai Taiyoukai, **theknightofkonaha, **Dante Inferno, **Evil Bunny of Death, **ShadowofScribe**, killing u with umbrellas**, Erytha, **oirishgoddess**, Pie of Doomeh, **Orohippus**, TopazEyez, **Willow-Bee the Cat**, Right or Ryn, **seven3eight,** BookWorm, **brezzybrez, **NotAfraidToLive, **Rycr**, I love Fallen!, **Group Askew**, Elentariel, **Forget Me Not Blue**, sweetalicious, **Lightish Red**, Bobboky, **Lady Sapphirea,** ella plain and simple, **Waiting To Be Inspired,** On top of cloud 9, **Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**, 13.shimer.13, **soupcan,** Frog's princess, **ravenmorrigan**, Brokenflamesrebel, **Mint Tea Rose**, lady knight keladry, **truffletruffle01,** mylovelyminion, **Storyreader102, **Lisy111, **Macko** & Golden23.

**Me** It was a Tauros…

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx **Thanks for reviewing Eldorne's Atonement :D How come your mum is making you wait? Does she not trust you? Lol. It's the law in UK that you can't learn before you're 17…:( Prince got left at the village; don't worry he'll be back soon :D I'm glad you thought it had harrypotter-ishness, because JK is such an amazing author :D But I absolutely love it in any book when you have a mysterious character and then eventually you find out their past (so I guess that's what I'm trying to bring across here :P)

**Lives for Fantasy** Um…well I based their shelter on the survival shelter thingy we used for our Duke of Edinburgh's award, but I wouldn't trust what I say…I was making most of it up, but I did do some research on dog sleds ;D

**zeurin** Wowee! Thanks for the super duper long review; it was much appreciated :D I know Deathly hallows made me very sad too :'( No I didn't get the idea off of Alex of Tirragen, to be honest the name was just a coincidence although my Alex's name is actually Alexei. He he, my Alex! Lol. No, originally he was gonna be a guardsman then I thought a spy would be a whole lot cooler and his character sorta just took off :D Still…I'm glad you're enjoying it, I'll try to include some action soon :D

**queenofthehostlers** Well the D of E shelters were where I got the idea from :P Still, hopefully I'm gonna see ya tomorrow x

**K.D. Rai** It was on her upper arm, just above the elbow. Although the holocaust victims was where I got the idea from. A couple of years ago we met Leon Greenman who gave us a talk and showed us his number :( It was soooo sad :'(

**Erynfaer **I thought it was awesome! Very classy ending, not overdone :D But I was sad at some of the character deaths :(

**fairydust000 **Thanks for the compliments :D Just out of interest –how long did it take you to read from start to finish ? I was just wondering you see…

**Eternityfalls **Seriously, read the protector series, it's really, really good :D

**Hunchbook **Nope, I've never been to the artic circle, most of the stuff is made up…well not made up, some educational guesswork coupled with some research from the internet :P

**Confusedknight xxx **

* * *

As Alex had predicted it took them just over nine days to reach Sekholm. With the exception of a few small blizzards, they had been incredibly lucky with the weather, having managed to avoid one of the three-day storms that they had warned against.

Kel had done a little duelling with Alex, but constantly travelling on the sled it had been hard to find the time to get a decent practice in. Instead, they had spent many hours simply talking as they sped across the arid Scanran tundra.

Although Kel didn't realise it at first, after a couple of days she realised that Alex was not just talking to pass the time, but that he was teaching her things that may, in the future be crucial to her role as spy.

The main thing that Alex spoke of was Scanran history. Kel learnt that history and the telling of stories was very much a part of Scanran culture. He told her folk tales and legends that had been passed down the generations for centuries and Kel found that the more she learnt about Scanra, the more she understood the differences between Scanran and Tortallan culture. Kel had been surprised to learn that the events that formed each country had been very much interlinked.

'Many hundreds of years ago, there was no Tortall, Scanra, Tusaine or any other country,' Alex had said, 'instead the land was populated by wandering people who sought after greener pastures than the ones they had found. One of the biggest clans settled at the place we now know to be Corus. They built temples and many buildings encompassed by a huge stone wall.

To the other nomads this was a completely new concept; stone buildings and defences which proved later to be impenetrable. People who were tired of travelling sought shelter in the settlement and over the years it grew, much like Hamrkeng has done.

Eventually many of the other clans had settled too, the biggest being Naxen, haMinch, Legann and Queenscove.'

Kel's stomach had jolted at the name "Queenscove" and she desperately tried to ignore the ache in the pit of her stomach every time she thought about Neal; how she missed everything from his bright green eyes to his sardonic wit and intelligent humour. Alex continued, oblivious to Kel's feelings.

'Now the leader of the Conte clan which had settled at Corus was much more powerful than the other four and he proposed an alliance. He would become King and would be recognised as such by the other clans in return for giving them the protection of his armies. Thus Tortall was formed as they patrolled and defended the land in between their fiefs.

Gradually other clans settled building homes and castles and they too were accepted as "fiefs" of Tortall, clans such as Trebond, Masbolle, Goldenlake and Nond. As more and more Clans joined, Tortall grew. It didn't happen overnight, but as the years progressed more and more fiefs arose; those whose lineage dates back to the Book of Gold.

There were some who didn't like this growing power in the south-west and they moved away. Several clans settled the other side of the Drell river and eventually formed Tusaine. The southern desert remained unallied to the King and it's peoples became known as the Bazhir, forming smaller tribes within their clans.

As the centuries passed Tyra and Galla were formed and Carthak too was taking shape. Maren came a little later and several years later Sarain formed as well, although the clans who had allied, split –creating the nomadic K'mir and a group of nobles who established fiefs.

Meanwhile Scanra as we know it today was left unclaimed. There were still twenty or so clans that wandered, preserving the old ways. The land was protected from Galla by mountains, but in the south there was only a few foothills and the great Northern forest to protect from Tortall. The land was visited by the clans regularly, but no one laid particular claim to it.

Tortall spent the next couple of hundred years increasing it's population and steadying it's economy. When Jonathan the third took the throne, everything changed. Tortall's knights which had previously been used to keep bandits away, roaming around the realm, were turned into a well-trained fighting army with use of ordinary foot soldiers to make up the numbers.

He started to advance and push at the borders of other countries, especially the land which was now officially named Scanra. His work was completed by King Jasson, the "Empire-builder" and Tortall grew to the size it is today. During the reign of those two King's Tortall's northern border had come to rest upon the Vassa River.

The land won, belonged to the Crown for several decades before being turned into fiefs such as Tirrsmont and Mindelan.'

Kel blinked in surprise. She had never known that Mindelan had once been part of Scanra! Alex regarded her carefully out of the corner of his eye and then continued.

'The battles that preceded Tortall claiming the land were hard and bloody, such as the battle of Joyous Forest when an entire Clan had been wiped out. Before then the Scanran people hadn't been too bothered by the other countries; content to live their nomadic lives in peace. When the Tortallan army advanced, it was decided that something had to be done. A great meeting was called to which all of the Clan chiefs were invited. The meeting was held in the small town of Hamrkeng. At the meeting many options were discussed, such as creating an alliance with Tortall, or even becoming a Kingdom such as Tortall but nothing could be agreed on.

The only thing that was achieved by that meeting was that the Chiefs agreed that Scanra needed an army to defend itself. Thus each clan agreed to send several squads of soldiers to Hamrkeng and the National Army was formed. As Hamrkeng had been elected as the army base, not only did barracks and training grounds arrive but also a merchant city arose as many sensed the opportunity for trade.

The National army continued to defend from the Southerners while many of the clans started to slow their nomadic wanderings and build more permanent settlements.'

Kel had listened in earnest throughout Alex's tale.

'And now if they're starting to unite under one banner, Maggur's banner, that's very similar to how Tortall was formed,' said Kel slowly.

'Yes,' sighed Alex, 'yes it is. The truth of this whole messy affair is that Scanra needs to unite. If Scanra was united under one banner, then we could create alliances, be recognised for the people we really are. So little is known about Scanra in other countries. People presume that because the Clans are still fairly nomadic, that we are barbarians always fighting each other.' He sighed again.

'I admit that there is much that could be improved in Scanra, but Maggur is not the one to do it. He wants us united to go to War and regain the "glory of our country" and the lands long since lost. We need alliances, trading agreements and slavery abolished. We need to show the southerners our unique culture and be respected for it.

You have been living in Hamrkeng which is far too much like other Tortallan cities. When we arrive in Sekholm you will experience a true part of life in a Clan. We might have nothing in the way of great works of art, but they appreciate singing, music, dancing and warrior craft.

I have heard Tortallan tales of out "barbaric war parties" but in truth when Clans meet they do not war, they celebrate the skill of their warriors in week-long tournaments.' Alex smiled faintly.

'I wish that you could experience one of the Tournaments. We fight all day long, supporting each other whilst delicious meals are prepared and in the evening we sing and dance and celebrate all night long. But events such as that are becoming increasingly rare. Maggur does not want any Clans to meet at the risk that they will unite against him.' Alex's face had become increasingly dark as he spoke.

* * *

When Kel caught her first glimpses of Sekholm she was not overly impressed. It was just a small collection of buildings, nothing more or less than an average sized Tortallan Town.

Alex guided the dogs at a slower speed through the roads. Most of the houses were heavily boarded, the snow often piled in great drifts reaching almost up to the second floors of the wooden houses. Wherever the snow had been shovelled away Kel could see doors that allowed the houses' occupants access.

They left their sled and dogs in a large stall in a barn after paying a man four copper pieces. As Kel walked down the snowy road staring all around something thudded into her back. She whirled around to see Alex grinning at her. Bending down she scooped a handful of snow and with unerring accuracy sent it flying across the short distance towards Alex who jumped out of the way, laughing. A fast and furious snowball fight then followed, only ending when one of Kel's snowballs caught Alex's head. With a hearty laugh, Alex chased Kel up the road and upon catching her, slung her over his shoulders.

Kel, half shrieking, half laughing tried to shove her handful of snow down Alex's neck. Now it was Alex's turn to cry out as the freezing snow penetrated his warm clothing. Trying to get the snow out of off his jacket, Alex tripped and both of them went sprawling into the snow.

Kel and Alex lay there, half buried for several minutes, laughing too hard to move. Both of them savoured the moment, for they hadn't laughed so hard for years. When the laughing had subsided into broad grins intercepted by the occasional chuckle, Alex climbed unsteadily to his feet. The deep snow reached up to over Alex's knee and it was even higher up Kel's legs.

'You can have a ride if you promise not to put snow down my neck again,' said Alex smiling fondly at the girl whom he had come to regard as a mixture of friend and younger sister.

'I won't,' promised Kel, her eyes shining.

Alex bent down to allow Kel to climb onto his shoulders and they set off through the small town.

'Where are we headed?' asked Kel.

'You'll see,' Alex replied mysteriously.

The few people who they passed waved merrily, their faces ruddy, weather-worn and smiling.

From the height of Alex's shoulders she could see the mountains looming ahead of them, mountains which they seemed to be walking straight towards. As they neared, Kel could make out a patch of brown on the grey rock face. Becoming closer still, Kel realised that it was a door.

Alex set her back down on her own feet and Kel watched in amazement as Alex knocked firmly upon the wooden door. Within moments it creaked open to reveal a woman with greying hair and the same welcoming smile as the rest of the people that they had met so far.

She greeted them in heavily accented Scanran and ushered them inside.

'Hans and Elinah Strongarm,' Alex introduced them to the woman. They had decided upon the journey to pose as brother and sister, something which was quite plausible given their identical hazel eyes.

'Lanith Shoemaker, how can I help you? From your accents am I right in saying that you've travelled a long way?'

'Yes,' said Alex, 'and we're looking for somewhere to stay until after Midwinter.'

'I know just the place,' replied Lanith, 'if you'll just follow me.'

Lanith tottered off down the tunnel, Kel and Alex following.

It was the strangest place Kel had ever seen. Seemingly carved directly out of the rock with wooden beams for support, the tunnel was lit by the light of dim lanterns hanging from the grey stone walls. The tunnel sloped gently upwards and after a couple of minutes or so, opened out onto a scene that stopped Kel in her tracks.

'Impressive isn't it?' asked Alex, smiling at Kel's look of awe. Lanith nodded in agreement.

They were standing at the edge of a humongous cave; one with a ceiling so high that it was hardly discernable. A large fire burned at the centre of the cave, casting flickering light and heat into it's surroundings, the smoke rising into the depths of the ceiling. Many smaller fires littered the cave floor; each surrounded by people all milling around.

Lanith lead them over to one of these fires and greeted two women enthusiastically.

'Look Maia, visitors! Visitors at this time of year!'

'Gracious me,' said the tall, thin woman called Maia, 'you must be so tired from your journey.'

'They need a place to stay for the winter,' explained Lanith.

'I see!' exclaimed Maia, 'well I suppose we could make room for two more in our cave.' She cast an appraising eye over Alex and Kel. 'Where are your belongings?'

'We left them with our sled, I'll go and collect them later,' explained Alex.

Maia proceeded to lead them off into a side passage, which was again lined with torches. Eventually they came to a gap in the stone wall of the passage. Pushing aside a cloth curtain, the three of them ducked into Maia's cave.

It was spacious and the floor was dry and clean. Many boxes were piled around the outside of the cave and in the corner a small tent was erected which Kel presumed served as a bedroom.

'I'm sure if you go to the supply cave they can find you an old tent, that is if you don't already have one.'

'We've only got our survival shelter,' said Alex, 'we'll visit the suppliers later.'

'Do you know your way around?' asked Maia.

'I've visited before,' said Alex, 'I'll show El around.'

'I'll be in the Great Cave if you need me,' said Maia nodding politely and she left.

'You didn't tell me that Sekholm was underground,' accused Kel as soon as Maia was out of earshot.

'I wanted to see the look of surprise on your face,' sniggered Alex. 'Besides it's only underground during the winter months. These caves were all formed naturally and they used to be used for storing things by the original nomadic clan. Sekholm actually refers to a large collection of villages and towns spanning quite a large area. They're mainly pastoral farmers this far east, the crop plantations are more to the west where the weather is milder in places like Gentlund.'

'So in the winter everyone just leaves their homes and comes in here?' Kel asked incredulously.

Alex nodded,

'Even the animals are brought inside. All throughout the year surplus food and other supplies are collected to see them through the winter months. Everyone brings their businesses inside and life goes on as usual.'

'Don't people ever worry about theives?' asked Kel, thinking that a cloth curtain wouldn't be much to deter someone trying to steal Maia's possessions.

'I suppose they have to trust everyone else, besides there is nowhere to go once you've taken something and anyone caught stealing will be expelled immediately from the Retreat.'

'The Retreat?'

'This place,' said Alex gesturing around at the cosy cave, 'it's called the Retreat.'

'An apt name,' replied Kel smiling.

'Indeed, shall we go and collect a tent and the rest of our supplies?' suggested Alex.

Kel nodded and together they left.

* * *

Half an hour later, Alex and Kel had put up the tent that was to be their home for the next three months and had stowed their belongings neatly next to it. The dogs had been left in the expert hands of a middle-aged man who, like Rinicht bred dogs for a living.

All of their board and lodgings seemed to be costing an awful lot of money, Kel thought privately and she wondered who funded Alex; whose only job was a spy.

It was surprisingly warm inside the Retreat and Kel quickly discovered that her fleece-lined jacket on top of her shirt and breeches sufficed to keep her warm.

Once they'd finished settling in, Alex decided that it had been too long since Kel had last had a fencing lesson. With nothing else to do, they practised for over two hours, until Kel's entire body ached and sweat ran in rivulets down her forehead.

Just as they began to lessen the intensity of their exercises to warm down, Maia returned. She didn't object to her cave being used as a practise court and settled down on a box to watch the final few minutes of their fighting.

'How long have you been learning the sword Elinah?' she asked.

'About two years,' said Kel truthfully, 'Hans is a very good teacher.'

'Good teacher or not, you've got talent,' said Maia shrewdly. Kel allowed herself to blush slightly at the praise.

'My son was a fighter, just like his father. He left to join the National Army last year,' explained Maia. 'Pah, it's not a National army any more, it's that scum Maggur's pet army, but my son wanted to follow in the footsteps of his Pa,' she finished quietly. 'My husband died in the service of the National army seven years ago.'

'I'm sorry,' murmured Kel and Alex together.

'Anyway,' said Maia, clearly wanting to move on from the painful topic, 'it'll be nice to have company for Midwinter.'

_Midwinter, _thought Kel in surprise, _I'd completely forgotten that it's nearly Midwinter. _An even more surprising thought was that it was less than a year since she had left the Convent. _And just look how far I've come, _thought Kel a fierce sense of pride filling her.

'I'm starting to cook dinner with Lanith, so it should be ready in about forty minutes,' said Maia, gathering up several small boxes from the side of the cave.

'El will help,' said Alex, sheathing his sword and pushing Kel forward. Kel nodded, understanding that Alex wanted her to have an excuse to listen in on the day's gossip.

Kel assisted the two women, by chopping potatoes with a well-practised hand. After nine days of eating plain travelling food, the unfamiliar meal cooking on the fire smelt very appetising.

Alex appeared just as they were draining the water from the boiling vegetables. Lanith's family appeared as well and she introduced her husband and two daughters. They ate around the fire, sitting on blocks of wood, their legs stretched out to warm their aching feet.

Once every last morsel of food had been scraped from the cooking pots and eaten, Lanith's two girls, who looked to be about seventeen years old, gathered up the dirty washing and disappeared into the milling groups of people to go and do the washing up.

'I think El and I will take a quick walk before we turn in for the night,' said Alex, rising gracefully to his feet.

Kel followed and together they wove in and out of the fires littering the floor of the Great Cave. Kel recounted all she had overheard, but none of it was of any particular importance unless you wanted information about the ongoing arguments between Rihhu and her husband.

They returned to Maia's cave and settled down for the night, warm and content.

* * *

Before Kel realised it, the first day of Midwinter arrived bringing with it an atmosphere of barely contained excitement. Children chased each other screaming merrily in games of tag and adults all stopped working for the festival.

Alex and Kel who had been working in a forge for the last week and a half, welcomed the break. Kel had been surprised to find that Alex was a more than competent blacksmith and he had been teaching her to work metal. She had only been allowed to make nails so far, but after proving his skill, Alex had been making swords and other weapons.

'If you keep practising, one day I'll teach you to make a sword,' said Alex as he hammered away energetically on a glowing long sword.

It was hot, sweaty work but Kel persevered, the thought of being able to make her own sword acting as ample encouragement to learn the art of the smithy.

Their evenings would be spent practising with their swords. Maia, often observing interestedly as Alex taught Kel increasingly complex routines.

This was how Maia found them on Midwinter morning, duelling fiercely in the centre of her cave, their swords clashing furiously. Whenever Alex's sword attacked, Kel's was there to block it, responding instinctively after hours upon hours of practise. Despite the sweat that beaded their foreheads, the two combatants showed no signs of slowing down.

'Our Winter's lunch is almost ready,' said Maia, 'I just thought I'd come and let you know.'

Kel and Alex broke apart and bowed to each other.

'That was brilliant!' exclaimed Alex, 'you must've lasted at least fifteen minutes!' Kel beamed at him. 'We'll be along once we've stretched,' said Alex to Maia.

* * *

After "Winter's lunch" came the gift-giving time. Alex had given her a little money to buy presents for Maia and Lanith who had looked after Kel and Alex as though they were their own children. 

Kel had bought herself some cloth and different coloured threads and had embroidered Maia and Lanith a little scene of a flowery meadow each, to hang in their caves. It wasn't a work of art and Kel knew that almost every girl who had attended the Convent would've certainly been able to do better, but Kel had noticed a lack of decoration and thought that once hung properly they wouldn't be too bad.

Alex however had been a bigger problem. She wanted to give him something special, something that he could easily keep with him as he travelled, something that would be useful to him.

Wondering despairingly through the cave that served as a market, she eventually spotted something. It was set upon a table of odds and ends. It was a map stone, one which when passed over the top of a map, would conjure up a realistic image.Trying not to look too excited she inquired of the price. Evidently the seller had no idea how valuable the stone was.

'Yes it's a pretty thing,' he had said, 'for that, two copper pieces.' Kel had handed over the money and pocketed the map stone, pleased with her purchase.

Now that the time had come to give the presents to their recipients, she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement; _would they like their gifts? _Kel received three gifts in return and opened the brown paper with fumbling fingers.

Maia's gift was a forest green headscarf which Kel immediately put on, using it to keep her long brown hair from falling in front of her face. Laniths gift was a plain brown dress and a soft forest green shirt which matched her headscarf. The dress was obviously second hand, most probably one of Lanith's daughters before they had grown out of it, but Kel was touched that they had picked out colours that complimented her hazel eyes.

She unwrapped Alex's present last, and out of the paper fell a black cord upon which were three small pieces of dark jade. It was a simple design but was elegant and looked hard wearing. The cord was not long and when Alex helped her tie it around her neck, it hung visible above her shirt. Kel stammered her thanks; still taken aback that Alex had bought her something that suited her so well.

Alex meanwhile had opened her gift to him and was looking at the stone with a strange expression.

'It's a mapstone,' explained Kel slowly, 'If you have a-'

'I know what it is,' Alex said hoarsely, 'but where did you get it?'

'I found it in the market, I don't think the man knew what it-' but she was cut off as Alex hugged her tightly. 'Thank you, this is-' he trailed off, apparently unable to describe his appreciation for his gift.

At that moment a huge gong sounded throughout the cave, reverberating off of the walls and everyone fell silent.

'May I wish each and every one of you Midwinter's luck,' started a deep, oddly impressive voice, which seemed to be coming from somewhere near the centre of the Great Cave.

'That's the Clan Chief speaking,' whispered Alex so quietly that Kel had difficulty hearing.

The Clan Chief continued to speak for a further five minutes, praising his people for storing enough food to last them through the winter months, asking the Gods that they have a bountiful year ahead and then finally announcing the start of the festivities.

'Come on,' said Alex, getting to his feet.

'Where are we going?'

'To put our names down for the fencing competitions, it'll be good for you to fight with someone other than me.'

They registered with a grey-haired man and then made their way over to where the competitors had already begun to fight. According to Alex they just had to wait until their names were pulled from the box.

As they began to stretch and loosen up, Alex pointed out the Clan Chief and his family. The Chief was a large man with greying hair and beard. He was resplendent in a great purple cloak, with a burgundy tunic and brown breeches. He was sitting alongside a haughty looking woman, who Kel presumed was his wife and they were being attended, Kel realised with a jolt in her stomach, by a group of slaves.

'Right,' said Alex as he and Kel performed a few gentle attacks and blocks, 'things to remember in a tournament. The first thing you must do is always warm up properly, especially if your tournament is going to go on for several days. Then you must make sure that none of your clothing impedes your ability for movement, they need to be loose but not too loose that they flap. When you start to duel you must gauge your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Don't start off slashing away because if your opponent in inexperienced you could end up hurting them seriously. Once you have a rough idea of their skill level, you must aim to disarm them. In most friendly duels you win by getting them to yield. There are no laws against injuring your opponent, although it is considered good practise to try not to. Once duelling you have the right to leave the duel at any moment if you feel that it is necessary, but once you have halted it, you have forfeited the duel. The only other things to remember are just to keep a clear head, ignore whatever the spectators are doing and be aware of the space in which you are duelling.'

'Okay,' said Kel, a lot more bravely than she felt. This would be the first time she would be duelling against someone other than Alex for a very long time and although she had nothing to prove to these people in Sekholm, she had something to prove to herself, that she was a warrior and could be recognised as such by other people.

Moments later the herald called out "Elinah Strongarm" and Kel walked forward. Everyone's eyes were suddenly on Kel and it had gone strangely quiet. Feeling that this was because she was a stranger and a young girl at that, Kel followed Alex's advice and ignored the crowd. Breathing deeply, she let all other thoughts of Midwinter clear from her head and concentrated solely on the feel of her sword in her hand, an extension of her arm.

Her opponent, like so many Scanrans was huge, muscular and blonde. He hefted a much larger sword as though it were made of straw and clearly looked disconcerted at the sight of his opponent. He opened his mouth as though to question the herald but thinking that it might be an insult to Kel, he shut it.

The herald rang a bell and the fight began. Kel and the large Scanran circled each other. The Scanran was clearly unwilling to make the first move. _I've got to be careful _thought Kel, _I have to prove to him that I can fight so that he will actually engage in proper combat with me. _

Lunging forward, as quick as lightning Kel attacked his left side, which the man hurriedly blocked. Kel didn't press him and continued to circle. The man attacked, but it was slow and easily blockable, _perhaps he is still believes that I can't fight? _Kel exhaled and drawing a great breath she attacked in earnest, her arms repeating some of the simpler drills that Alex had taught her. In doing so, she was forcing the Scanran to take a more active role in the duel.

After a minute it seemed to reach the man's brain that Kel knew what she was doing and he began to launch his own attacks. Kel stepped up the intensity, dodging, weaving, lunging and blocking at such a speed that soon the Scanran was breathing heavily.

With a huge effort, Kel changed the direction of her attack mid-swing and directed it at the Scanran's sword, twisting her own sword around the blade and yanking it out of his hand. Before his sword even hit the ground, her blade was resting on the tip of his nose.

'I yield,' he said thickly.

Kel sheathed her sword and bowed deeply. It was only as she turned away did she realise that people were cheering. _I won! _She thought suddenly and catching Alex's eye she smiled, quite embarrassed at the people who were trying to shake her hand as she passed.

Alex's duel followed soon after and he managed to beat his opponent, the duel lasting no longer than three minutes. However those three minutes had been the most exciting duel of the evening. People couldn't believe how the balding Scanran man had stayed in so long against Alex whose whirlwind attacks were precise, strong and relentless.

As Alex rejoined Kel many eyes were on the two of them.

'Is it wise to draw so much attention to ourselves?' whispered Kel.

'Yes, this is exactly what I had hoped would happen. If anyone comes looking for me, no one will remember that a blonde-haired hazel eyed man came through. They'll remember Hans Strongarm and his sister who were good at fencing. I would arouse far more interest if I remained "the mysterious stranger". There is also another reason, but I hope that things won't come to-'

Alex broke off as someone grabbed his shoulder roughly. He leapt up and seeing who it was, hauled Kel up too, dragging her off after someone who had all but disappeared into the milling crowd.

* * *

**(-a/n-** I hope you liked this, as it's **super** long and took me several days to write. I know that it's a little bitty but as always the plot has to move on and I have to lay down small pieces of information that will be very important later on. I hope you'll forgive the delayed update –I had no internet in our Caravan :P)

Please review as always,

**Confusedknight xxx **


	26. A new face

(-**a/n- **Another chapter that I wrote whilst on holiday in Wales :D It just took me a while yesterday to spell check and write review answers. As usual thanks to all the brilliant, kind people who review! I know I've said it before, but without you there would be no story :D )

**Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, **Tsumetai Taiyoukai**, queenofthehostlers, **NotAfraidToLive**, I love Fallen!, **Right or Ryn**, Me, **truffletruffle01**, lady knight keladry, **Dark Emo Shadow**, Forget Me Not Blue, **Krae Z. Rokke**, Grace of Masbolle, **Pie of Doomeh**, LadyKnightSusan**rootless californian**, killing u with umbrellas, **Mint Tea Rose** Erytha, **deathequalsoul**, bookworm-4-ever2012, **Arsera345**, ThJaFl, **Aly**, Sushiandmanga, **manicpony24**, Brokenflamesrebel, **Hiedra**, Penny & **Night-Player**.

**Lady Muck**No, the only reason I changed the name was because I thought that if Kel kept the same name throughout her Scanran travels, then it would be no better than using the name 'Kel'. So she's going to use a variety of names, so she's harder to trace, but only a few. Not new names for everywhere she goes otherwise it would be confusing :P

**oirishgoddess** It was about 5500 I think! It took soooo long! Yes the mapstone is the same! I remembered it but I couldn't remember which book it was in! So thanks for that:P

**Erynfaer** Can you speak chinese? I've always thought that it's such a cool language! Lol, you must be being so patient with Harry Potter 7!

**hahasxybitch** There will be some romance, but you'll have to wait a bit :P (Until Kel is a bit older :P )

**On top of cloud 9** We were staying in our Aunt's caravan on the Gower Penisula in Wales. There were some nice beaches there and we had a really good day surfing but apart from that we just lazed about :P

**13.shimer.13**As I said above; there will be some romance, when Kel's a little bit older :P

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx** Yep I'll definitely look out for it!

**Lady Sapphirea**Yes he's Scanran :P

**Transfiguration** Lol! If you skipped loads of chapters no wonder you were confused! I'm not laughing at you big time :P…just a little bit :D Thanks for the suggestion. Something similar is going to happen and I promise that Alex and Kel will come clean with each other in the end, you've just got to wait a little bit longer! Thanks for reviewing as always :P

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

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Neal collected the final dish of the evening and began to serve it to the Midwinter guests who sat on the table to which he had been assigned to wait. There was a quiet, serious looking mage from the University, Sir Gareth of Naxen and his pretty wife Cythera and several ambassadors, one of whom had Tyran looks and a thick moustache. But the couple who Neal couldn't help but stare at was a stocky man with such familiar dreamy, long-lashed hazel eyes and thin, white-haired woman.Piers and Ilane of Mindelan. Kel's parents.

It had been a year and a half since he had last seen his best friend, the girl who had been a quiet determined presence in his otherwise hectic page life. He still hadn't accepted that she was dead. This was Kel, who had fought bullies two years older than herself single-handedly just to prove a point. She was someone who had made her way through life with steady determination; someone like that just couldn't be killed by a winter's storm.

However time had begun to dull the pain of losing her. It was only little things that kept reminding him; things like seeing sparrows hopping outside of his window every morning, as though in Kel's continued absence they had decided to adopt him instead. Neal didn't mind, he felt as though somehow in feeding them, he was paying tribute to a girl who always had time for everyone, no matter how busy she was.

Kel didn't resemble her parents physically, except for her father's eyes, but there was something about their dignified manner and diplomatic conversation that was achingly familiar. He wondered if they had given up all hope of ever seeing their youngest daughter again.

Having presented the diners with their final course, Neal returned to the Kitchens where Master Oakbridge paced up and down muttering to himself. He caught Seaver's eye and they both smothered grins.

Later on when the Pages had been released from their service they ate a sumptuous meal, and loading napkins with treats and pastries they returned to Neal's room. Their numbers were down since Roald and Cleon had moved on to become Squires, but Owen's two cousins Iden and Warric had quickly stepped in to fill the gaps in their studying sessions.

Now as the first day of the Midwinter festival was drawing to a close the boys sprawled across the floor of Neal's rooms and lazily munched on the sugary snacks. Gifts had been exchanged earlier and they lapsed into a companionable silence.

Neal poured them all a glass of apple juice which was mouth-wateringly fresh with just the faintest flavour of cinnamon. When everyone had been handed a glass, Merric raised his in a toast,

'To the new year and all that it will bring!'

'To passing the exams in the summer!' said Owen to the amusement of his companions.

'To no new weights in our practice harness next week,' muttered Iden.

'To less punishment work next term,' joked Seaver. This continued all around their group until finally all had made a toast except Neal.

'Come on Neal, what's it to be?' prompted Esmond.

Neal thought for a moment, his face serious.

'To Kel, who should be here with us,' he said quietly lifting his glass and taking a sip.

'To Kel,' the others murmured.

* * *

Kel dodged and ducked her way through the crowd, following Alex's barely visible form. She stopped at the edge of the Cave, having momentarily lost sight of Alex when she was hauled into a side passageway by the back of her shirt. Kel pivoted, preparing to move in self-defence when she realised that it was Alex.

'Wha-'

'Shh! I'll explain later,' hissed Alex, cutting across her.

Within two minutes they had entered a cave in which a short woman already stood. As the curtain flapped closed behind Kel, the woman moved forward and she and Alex grasped hands briefly. Then, regarding Kel she said,

'Who is this?'

'Kel, who has proved a great help to me these last six months.'

'She _knows?'_

Alex's gaze flitted from the woman to Kel so fast that Kel wondered whether she had imagined it, before saying;

'Enough, about our _immediate _aims,' Alex seemed to be trying to communicate with the woman without speaking and it made Kel feel awkward. She remembered that she had felt exactly the same way when Alex was communicating with Cook. Deciding to take matters into her own hands for once Kel stuck out her small callused hand and said;

'Like he said, I'm Kel, or Elinah as I'm known around here. And you are?'

An imperceptibly small smile flitted across the stranger's face,

'Rhonda.'

'I had no idea that you were up this way Rho,' said Alex, seating himself gracefully on the sandy floor.

'Nor I you,' replied Rhonda, who remained standing. She then reached out her hand and black glittering magic spread around the three of them, forming a complete circle, flashing once and then vanishing. 'Now we can speak undisturbed,' she said flopping to the ground in a much less grateful manner. After a few moments Kel joined the two of them.

'I was late leaving Moshaus,' said Rhonda, 'and I arrived at Rokang just as the heavier snows began to fall, but I managed to join a group of merchants on their way home and ended up here for Midwinter.'

'And how are things up North?'

'Better than we could've possibly hoped,' said Rhonda seriously and Kel got the sense that she was not a person who indulged in humour often.

'I visited Rokang not so long ago and things were all going well there despite Maggur's attempts to ruin the alliance.'

'Well a tentative alliance has been formed between Moshaus and Rokang,' she said slowly, 'at least they've come to an agreement. Their Clan chiefs aren't idiots, they know where this is all leading. It's going to end up at Rokang sooner or later and when Rokang falls Moshaus is defenceless. So they've got agreements to evacuate some of the women and children to Moshaus when the fighting starts. It's not ideal…'

'As you said it's more than we could've possibly hoped for and it at least provides a temporary safe place for the rebellion.'

'Yes,' countered Rhonda, 'but neither of these three Clans are known for their fighting prowess. Not like Hastann or -' she fell silent.

'Rathhausak?' finished Alex bitterly.

'If Maggur wants to take Rokang then his armies _will_ breach the fortress,' pointed out Rhonda, her grey eyes glittering in her pale face.

'Then we had best hope that he decides there are more important campaigns elsewhere,' sighed Alex. 'I'm doing the best I can…'

Rhonda's expression softened fractionally,

'As are we all Alexei. Three yearsof slow, hard work is finally beginning to come together, but Maggur _will, will _succeed in the end and I hope that bloody Tortallan army is ready when he does,' she finished grimly.

'What has the _Tortallan _army have to do with anything?' Kel blurted out, feeling a stab of annoyance at the woman's insult.

'Because as soon as Maggur has all the Clans under his command his army will be massive. Scanra is a big county and contains far more people than most realise. He'll turn the might of his army upon the Tortallan border and if he crushes their defences, if he invades Tortall then that makes our plans a whole lot more difficult.'

'What plans?' asked Kel interestedly, she had only thought about working against Maggur in regard to delaying the inevitable war, but now she thought about it Kel realised that Alex must have a plan that ran beyond the war. Some plan to return Scanra to a shred of glory.

'Plans that you needn't worry about,' said Alex firmly, ignoring Kel's beseeching eyes, 'not for now anyway.'

'Well,' said Kel, 'the army will never break through the border.'

Rhonda turned the full weight of her grey-eyed gaze upon Kel, taking in every aspect of Kel's appearance and resolute expression.

'As I said, Maggur will have a lot of men at his command,' said Rhonda shrugging, her eyes never leaving Kel's.

'And the Tortallan army has been trained as a unit for more years than Hamrkeng has been standing,' retorted Kel, 'warriors such as the Lioness and the Giantkiller won't let Maggur waltz into their country and even the King with the Dominion Jewel…' she trailed off; she still held a deep-seated resentment for the monarch whose "justice" had seen Kel kicked out of page training after a _probationary _year.

'There's no good getting all at odds over this,' said Alex calmingly. 'Rhonda she's entitled to her own opinion even if it isn't as pessimistic as yours.'

Rhonda openly glowered and Kel fought to stop her Yamani mask from slipping over her face to hide her emotions.

'Bloody Tortallan,' muttered Rhonda, 'I can see it in you. You speak Scanran well but every so often your accent slips.'

'Well I'm sorry, why don't we hold this charming conversation in Tortallan and see how good your accent is?' said Kel irritably in Tortallan. It was strange after months of speaking Scanran, how different the Tortallan syllables felt and sounded.

Rhonda obviously didn't understand and scowled, her brows knitting together in her pale face.

'So how did you find this-' Rhonda sneered slightly '_assistant?' _

'In Tortall,' replied Alex ignoring the tension between the two women. 'We came to an agreement. She would help me in return for lessons on swordplay.'

'Yes I saw her little display, drawing far too much attention to herself-'

'As did I,' interrupted Alex. 'It's Midwinter Rhonda, we're allowed a little relief from the grim outside world.'

'Then you are careless and carelessness will get you killed.'

'Or others,' said Alex quietly and Rhonda recoiled as though she'd been slapped. 'I'm sorry,' he said, 'that was wrong of me.' Continuing, he said, 'Kel has been spying on a family who I suspected was funding Maggur. However the merchant got cold feet and tried to pull out…' Rhonda winced. 'But Kel here saved the entire family and abseiled a small boy out of a three storey window to safety.'

'I wish you'd stop harping on about that,' grumbled Kel, embarrassed.

'Once I'd collected her from the slave pens we received a tip off from Marthea that a meeting would be held in a town near Sekholm, two weeks after Midwinter…' continued Alex.

'How is Marthea?' asked Rhonda, now examining her fingernails.

'Absolutely fine. She's well connected and sees and hears far more than anyone realises.'

'Do you mean Cook?' asked Kel, remembering the name by which Alex had addressed the plump woman.

Alex nodded.

'You could say that she's another one of my "agents",' he said slowly, 'just as Rhonda here is.'

'How many people have you got reporting to you?' asked Kel, wondering if she was finally going to be let into the secrecy that surrounded Alex's work.

'Enough,' said Alex simply. 'We're not an average spy network. Not like the one George runs; all agents reporting to him in coded letters and arranged meetings. He has hundreds at his command. He can have an agent that tails a suspicious person for months, reporting on his slightest movement, but we don't. We're thin on the ground and trying to keep tabs on the movements of all the Clans, armies, private armies and merchant groups in a massive country. I have no idea exactly where all of my "agents" are -save Rhonda here-. But I know roughly where they are and I trust them to make decisions by themselves…'

Rhonda sniffed,

'And what do you want me to do now?'

'I think you can stay with us for a bit,' said Alex. 'We've got to go and find out what we can at this meeting between some of Maggur's associates and we can pose as a family travelling to Miltrak; that will give us an excuse to be travelling.'

'Then what?' asked Rhonda.

'Then we interpret the information we find and take it from there.'

'So I'll meet you again two weeks after the festival finishes,' said Rhonda. 'I'll collect the supplies. You have a sled?'

Alex nodded and stood up.

'The sooner we can find out what Maggur is planning next the sooner we can stop it from happening,' his face was dark with hatred.

Kel and Rhonda stood up too, Rhonda removing the protective enchantment that she had set around the cave. She then bowed deeply to Alex and touched a clenched fist to first her heart and then her forehead, in some kind of salute.

Alex acknowledged the gesture with a small nod and then lifted the curtain that covered the door and ushered Kel out of the cave. Just as he turned to leave Rhonda said,

'It was my home too Alex.'

Alex paused for a fraction of a second before dropping the heavy curtain down behind him and continuing up the passageway as though he had not heard her.

When they returned to the Great Cave, all of the fighting displays had stopped for the evening and instead all of the people were sat around their fires, singing. It was an incredible sound. Every person in the room seemed to be singing softly in unison, the sweet drone of voices rose into the cavernous ceiling.

As she sat down next to Alex she discovered to her surprise that he had joined in, adding his pure tenorto the multitude of others, all singing the same song. Realising that it would look strange that she was not singing, Kel drew her knees up to her chin and sat so that her mouth was half hidden as it mouthed random words. As she did so, Kel listened to the lyrics of the song and stared unseeing into the flickering flames of their fire.

All too soon for Kel's liking that song ended. Another one started up, this one had a solo singer whom Kel couldn't see and everyone else joining in at the chorus. This song was a much livelier one and people were clapping and stomping rhythms, all evidently enjoying themselves greatly.

The lyrics to the songs were simple and often very repetitive and Kel found herself joining in on some chorus's, remembering with a half-smile her singing lessons at the convent. As more alcohol was consumed by the adults, the songs became more and more rowdy. People began to dance and to Kel's utter astonishment Alex joined in. She had never imagined Alex, serious, quiet Alex with his gentle humour and brilliant smile, _dancing! _

He pulled Kel to her feet as well. It wasn't the specified dancing that Kel had learnt before, where you learned the steps and danced in couples. It was free; people bobbing, swaying and clapping in time to the singing.

The celebrations continued until very late in the evening, or early in the morning -Kel couldn't tell. Eventually people began to leave, still beaming around, and bidding each other goodnight, their voices hoarse from singing.

Alex and Kel made their way back to their cave before Maia, clutching their Midwinter gifts and yawning uncontrollably. As they were getting ready for bed Alex bought up the topic of Rhonda.

'You did well earlier with Rhonda, she's not the…easiest person to get on with

Kel snorted softly.

'Don't take it personally,' Alex advised Kel, as he climbed into his bedroll. 'Just give her time to get to know you. She's one of my best agents, probably _the_ best.'

'She's very…' Kel tried to search for the right word, 'serious,' she finished lamely.

'Something happened to her a while back and I don't think that she's ever quite accepted it,' sighed Alex.

'That's fair foolish of her,' said Kel quietly, 'some things you just have to let go.' _Ooh, _thought Kel _personal territory indeed. _

'Maybe…' said Alex, 'but we're all fools over some things. I think for her it's what keeps her fighting.'

'You're not exactly a fool,' Kel pointed out, as she snuggled down into her soft bed roll.

'Oh I've done more than my fair share of foolish things,' replied Alex.

'Like what?' asked Kel interestedly.

'What's the most foolish thing you've done?' Alex challenged her in return. Kel thought for a moment.

'I once attacked a spidren with only a handful of rocks as a weapon,' admitted Kel. 'I was trying to save a bag of kittens, and I think I would've died if some local guardsmen hadn't heard my shouts.'

Kel waited for Alex to say something,

'Come on,' she prompted, 'What's the most foolish thing you've ever done?'

'Fallen in love,' said Alex quietly and although Kel itched to ask for more details, she respected Alex's privacy and rolled over, trying to digest this new titbit of information.

* * *

The following four days would remain in Kel's memory as one of the best Midwinter's that she'd ever had. Despite all of the circumstances that had led up to Kel being in Sekholm, the five day festival passed in a haze of celebration and laughter.

There was none of the dignified temple services, speeches and poetry recitals that made up the Yamani Midwinter. Nor sit-down feasts, balls and orchestral concerts that constituted the Tortallan equivalent. Instead people just took the time to sit down and socialise with each other. Like in Tortall, the people feasted in the evening, but afterwards, just like the first night, people took part in displays of swordsmanship, or told stories and sung until the early hours of the morning. By the end of the festival Kel knew the words to all of the songs and danced and sang just as enthusiastically as the next person.

All too soon however it was over and two weeks later they packed their belonging up and prepared to move on. Two days before they left, Kel succeeded in making herself a small dagger in the forge, not quite having had enough time to make a sword. Nevertheless, she had been incredibly pleased with her achievement and had paid a man one copper piece to make it a small sheath.

She was just attaching it to her belt when Rhonda arrived looking as cheerful as ever. Her face was stony and she lugged behind her several large packs.

'All set?' asked Alex.

Kel and Rhonda both nodded and together the three of them headed up the cave into the outside world. Kel blinked furiously, blinded by the dazzling sunlight that reflected off of the snow. They made their way down through the village to where their sled would be waiting. According to Alex, it would take them only one day to get to the town where Maggur's men would be meeting.

It took very little time to attach their packs onto the sled. What was more difficult was making room for Rhonda. Eventually they all managed to squeeze on and soon they were off, speeding across the glistening white landscape. As they travelled Alex went over the plans.

'Kel you're going to be posing as Lia again. Rho you're Mara and I'm Freid. Our surname is Dyer and like the name suggests we die cloth for a living. We live in Miltrak, but have been visiting relatives in Sekholm for Midwinter.'

When they arrived in the small town of Yhist, they found a welcoming warm inn. Kel was surprised, thinking that all of Sekholm's inhabitants would still be underground, but as Rhonda sarcastically pointed out, an Innkeeper can't make any money without his Inn and had probably travelled back straight after midwinter.

The Innkeeper's wife showed them up to a family-sized bedroom with one double bed and two singles and left them to change out of their travelling clothes. Whilst Alex got changed in the privy Kel and Rhonda changed in the bedroom. Kel put on the dress which she had received for midwinter and laced up the green shift. Brown leather slippers completed the ensemble and she loosed her soft brown hair letting it tumble across her shoulders and upper back.

Rhonda was dressed in a similarly styled dress but in grey and blue instead of brown and green. The top of the dress emphasized a large bust and other curves that had previously been hidden. Alex dressed as simply as ever, managing to retain an elegant, assertive manner in a red shirt and black breeches.

They went downstairs and ordered drinks from the ruddy-cheeked innkeeper's wife. Kel sipped at her apple juice and glanced about. Apart from two men that sat huddled in a corner, the common room of the inn was completely deserted. One of the men looked over in their direction and Kel hastily struck up a conversation with Alex about "Aunty Tiera", babbling on in a way that was quite unlike her normal self.

Just as Rhonda had joined in discussing Aunty Tiera's new puppy, a huge blonde man entered the room. He was at least six and a half feet tall with grey-blonde hair.

Alex drained his glass, only his white-knuckled grasp betraying how tense he was. Kel, strangely, wasn't scared. She felt adrenalin kick in, her Yamani-calm taking over, despite her still babbling mouth. _It's almost like acting, _she thought, _like you do when you're young, except this time the consequences of mucking up are so much higher. A lot higher._

Kel was dragged out of her thoughts when Alex took Rhonda's hand and they stood up. For a moment Kel was stunned, before realising that they must play the part of husband and wife for their cover to hold.

Kel followed her "parents" upstairs and into their room. Instantly Alex dropped Rhonda's hand and her glittering black gift sprung up at the doors and windows.

'Stenmun,' breathed Alex, 'Stenmun Kinslayer.'

'Well at least we know this meeting is important if Maggur's right-hand man is attending.'

'If all of these important officials are attending…' said Kel slowly, 'can't we just I don't know…kill them?' she winced at how stupid and blood-thirsty her suggestion sounded.

'Oh certainly if we believed it would make much difference,' Alex replied before Rhonda could answer scathingly. But Maggur has hundreds more just waiting to step up into important positions. Besides if we make our rebellion public then it makes our job harder. Secrecy is very important at this stage. Let him think that any Clans who oppose him are just doing so upon their own intuition. If he finds out about us…' Alex trailed off.

'The occasional death will go unnoticed,' said Rhonda, 'but to kill the whole group of them would attract far too much attention.'

'So how are we going to eavesdrop?' asked Kel, changing the subject.

'Well I've been thinking about that,' said Alex, 'and it really depends upon where exactly they are going to hold the meeting -whether it is going to be in a private room at this inn or down the road in a house. Either poses problems to us.'

'Do you want me to see if I can go and find out?' asked Kel.

'And how are you going to do that?' asked Rhonda sarcastically, 'are you going to waltz over there and ask them?'

'I can go and offer to help the innkeeper's wife,' Kel suggested, 'see if she lets something slip about having all of those men arriving.'

Alex nodded appreciatively and Kel got up and left the door, feeling a slight tingle as she passed through Rhonda's magic. She slipped quietly into the kitchen and greeted the portly woman.

'Do you need any help?' Kel asked, 'Ma and Pa are being boring; there really isn't very much for me to do…'

'That would be lovely dear,' said the woman her eyes filling with gratitude, 'we've got quite a big crowd eating tonight, which is surprising considering the weather.'

Kel began to chop and peel vegetables, something which she was highly proficient at, having had so much practice. After five minutes or so, a tinkling bell rang.

'Oh that'll be someone at the bar, you couldn't go and see what they want could you dear?' she asked Kel.

Blessing her good fortune, Kel put down the potato that she was peeling and wiping her hands upon a rag nearby, Kel went out of the door that the woman had indicated and found herself upon the other side of the bar, face to face with Stenmun Kinslayer.

'Can I help you?' asked Kel politely, in her very best impression of a meek country-born girl.

'Three ales,' said Stenmun in a deep baritone voice.

Kel reached up for three tankards and filled them from a barrel under the bar. She thanked her luck again that Stenmun hadn't associated her with the family he'd seen at the bar.

'Are you lot staying for dinner?' asked Kel, throwing caution to the winds, 'only Cook wants to know how many potatoes she should cook.'

'Yes, we're using the back room like arranged,' said Stenmun, collecting the tankards.

'Very good sir,' said Kel curtsying and scurrying backwards into the Kitchen.

She returned to her vegetable peeling her heart still thumping madly. Once all of the potatoes were on the stove in bright copper pans, Kel excused herself and almost tripped over in her haste to tell Alex the news. She burst through the door, ignoring the tingle of Rhonda's magic and shut it behind her.

'They're staying here for the meeting,' said Kel urgently.

'How did you find out?' asked Rhonda, not bothering to look up.

'Asked him,' said Kel smugly.

'Asked who?' said Alex.

'Stenmun,' replied Kel with a grin. 'He came over to order drinks and I said Cook wanted to know if they were all staying, because if they were she was going to have to boil another batch of potatoes.

Alex returned her grin.

'Excellent, now we just need to devise a way of listening in.'

'Well I can't use my magic,' said Rhonda moodily, 'there's definitely going to be at least one mage at the meeting tonight and he'd detect it for sure.'

'Maybe I could climb down the chimney again?' suggested Kel, thinking of the time she and Aly had listened in on George.

'No, you could so easily become…' Alex trailed off. 'If we can find out where precisely the room is, we could probably work out the position of the chimney…'

'And…' prompted Kel, not understanding.

'If we removed a couple of bricks, we'd easily be able to hear, and no one would be any the wiser.'

'Like I did in the hatch at Vishnaucht's,' Kel asked.

'Precisely,' said Alex, 'except that we don't actually have to get in the chimney.'

'So you want me to find the chimney's location,' Kel said with a grin.

Alex nodded and Kel left the room with a mock salute. Returning to the kitchen, Kel asked whether she could lay the table for the guests.

'Well we've got a big group dining in the private room and you and your family can eat in either the common room or in here,' said the Cook. 'You can lay out the cutlery in the private dining room, if you don't mind.'

'Not at all,' said Kel, inwardly grinning. Things were going exactly as she'd hoped tonight. _Who knows, _thought Kel, _a new year, new luck._

Her arms full with cutlery from a draw, Kel staggered through the common room and into the private dining room. As she laid the table, Kel took in the layout of the room. The fireplace was to the left of the window, about five paces in and by her reckoning the private dining room was in the front left-hand corner of the building.

Returning to the kitchen for place mats, Kel noted out of the corner of her eye that even more men had arrived, entering one by one, and most of them conferring in low whispers as they drank ale or smoked.

Twenty minutes later Kel had finished all of the jobs that she had been set and returned back upstairs.

'Finally,' muttered Rhonda, 'well, where is it?'

Kel told them, and together they made their way up the corridor. Sure that the innkeeper and his wife were safely downstairs, Alex used his lock picks to break into the room that was furthest up the corridor on his left. It was a small, single-bedded room with a bed, chair and not much else.

Immediately Rhonda crossed to the window and peered out.

'It's here,' she whispered, 'just to the right of this window.'

Alex crouched down and used his knife to scrap away paint and plaster, revealing the bricks underneath. He scraped at the mortar and gradually worked the brick loose. He swept the dusty remains of the plaster into the hole where they fluttered down the chimney.

'Perfect,' he breathed.

'Rhonda you take first watch, I'll go and get us something to eat. Kel finish helping cook and then I want you to go to bed. If you can, make bolsters so it looks like we're sleeping.' Kel began to protest, but Alex cut her down. 'You've done brilliantly tonight but we'll probably understand far more of their conversation and who's talking than you will.'

Grudgingly Kel agreed and returned to help the cook. Together they carried in steaming dishes of delicious smelling food. Just as they returned to the kitchen Alex popped his head around the door.

'I thought I'd find you in here Lia,' he said smiling casually, and then to the lady he said, 'she's always in the kitchen, you just can't keep her out of it.'

'Well she's been a great help,' replied the woman smiling. 'Where would you and your wife like to eat?'

'Well my wife isn't feeling to well, so if I could just take something plain up to her that would be fine.'

Alex and Kel ate very well that evening, as the innkeeper's wife insisted upon feeding them up, saying that two "skinny mites" needed feeding up. She seemed to be surprised at how young Alex looked close up.

'You look a bit young to be Lia's dad,' commented the cook as she sat down to join them.

'Well he's not my real pa,' said Kel quickly. 'He's really my uncle but my birth parents died six years ago, I can't really remember them.'

'So we took her in,' said Alex beaming, 'best thing we've ever done.'

They finished their meal in companionable silence and Alex and Kel retired upstairs.

'Quick thinking there,' praised Alex.

He helped Kel make bolsters in the double bed, so if anyone did decide to check upon them, it would look as though Rhonda and Alex were in bed.

'Have fun,' said Kel, yawning as she bid Alex goodnight.

She removed her dress and staggered into bed, wearing the forest green shift as a night shirt.

All too soon Kel was being shaken awake and Alex's face swam into view. It was wearing a troubled expression and his eyes were crinkled with worry.

'Get up quickly,' he whispered, 'we're leaving straight away.'

'What happened?' asked Kel. 'What did you hear?'

'Just get up,' said Alex, uncharacteristically serious.

* * *

**(-a/n-** So what did you think? Please, please review. This chapter was written courtesy of a rainy day in Wales. (There's not much to do in a caravan when it rains :P

**Confusedknight xxx**


	27. Forewarned

**(-a/n**- I LOVE ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED!!! As always they are much appreciated and inspire me to keep working on this fic. Sorry for the delayed update but I have been working on _Fallen_ in other ways. I've made a map of Scanra, (the link is on my profile page) just in case you are getting confused as to where all of the Clans are! I've also been finalising plot details for the next few chapters :D )

**Yabberli**, seven3eight, **Rauntail**, Night-Player, **Hiedra**, lady knight keladry, **eternityfalls**, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, **LadyKnightSusan**, onyx-jade potter, **Tsumetai** **Taiyoukai**, NotAfraidToLive, **zeurin**, Lady Sapphirea, **Rycr**, Skyline Romance, **hyperbookworm**, the. dead. addict., **Rycr**, TheBrassPotato, **darkjewelledassassin**, qtktkat, **theknightofkonaha**, CelticGoddess09, **x17SkmBdrchiczxx**, Triaides, **epobbp**, Adamantium Rose, **Transfiguration**, Erynfaer, **Macko**, Mint Tea Rose, **SaoirseWaveglow**, Kitcat, **Lady** **Muck**, Forget Me Not Blue, **seyyada**, Brokenflamesrebel, **13.shimer.13**, Erytha, **brezzybrez**, I love Fallen!, **Waiting To Be Inspired** Arsera345, **Grace of Masbolle**, killinguwithumbrellas, **Frog's princess**, Nyleve, **oirishgoddess**, bookworm-4-ever2012, **Krae Z**. Rokke, **peacockgal17** GuitarBlonde, **Elentariel**, ILuvAnimesNManga, **Kathy**, Abbs of the faeries, **The Sherberty Lemon**, Me, **Xx-Hazelnut-xX** Kelly, **Stoned Lorikeet** tygerliilly, **Evil Bunny of Death**, Orohippus, **Uncertian Destiny**, crazylittlefox, **Devouring** **Sarcasm** **Phantasm**, the yellow pages ate my llama**BlackWidow12**, jesi ki kage, **asdf** & Deep Purple Sky.

**SarahE7191** I've added in Lucie just for you! As for your other questions, you'll have to wait and see!

**Right or Ryn** Well…um the caravan we stayed in was like an RV but it doesn't have an engine or anything, you can't move it about…it's plumbed in and has got electricity etc :D It was fun :D

**On top of cloud 9** As I said above, our caravan is like a stationary motorhome, minus the engine!

**fairydust000** Yep, I made the history and stuff up, because I'm trying to portray Scanra as a different, but not bad country. It's just Maggur that is making it bad… Wow! Five hours! You're a very dedicated reader :D –sends you a large choccy chip cookie- And you read all my other fics ?!? –grins broadly- it's nice to know that people are still reading them :D

**JaBoyYa** There ya go! I didn't forget you this time :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

**

* * *

**

Within minutes Kel, Rhonda and Alex were speeding away from the village on the sled. The sun was barely up and Kel was utterly confused.

'What did you overhear?' asked Kel again.

'A lot,' said Alex grimly, 'some good, but most of it bodes very ill for our cause.'

'But why is it so urgent that we leave that village?' asked Kel directly.

'Because Maggur has plans for Sekholm,' said Alex quietly, 'big plans. As you know from the conversations you overheard at Vishnaucht's, Maggur has been trying to ruin the alliance between Sekholm and Rokang for a while now. Fortunately, we've been able to prevent him from doing so. Unable to persuade Sekholm to join him out of fear of Rokang, he plans to take the Clan by force.'

'There are good iron mines at Sekholm,' said Rhonda, not taking her eyes off of the horizon, 'with that iron he can outfit an army.'

'So what can we do?' asked Kel, peering up into the serious faces of the two adults.

'Warn Sekholm,' replied Alex, 'so that as soon as it is possible they can evacuate the women and children.'

'But first we have to deal with someone,' said Rhonda, her voice hard.

'Maggur has instructed a spy to perpetrate the Clan,' said Alex.

'I thought that Maggur had spies in all clans?' asked Kel.

'Not any more,' Rhonda said with a hint of satisfaction, 'but he's putting someone a bit more important there to make sure that everything runs smoothly. But Mithros forbidding the spy isn't even going to arrive there.'

'Why not?' asked Kel.

'Because we're going to kill him,' said Rhonda simply, no trace of sorrow evident in her voice.

Kel's eyes widened in surprise, not least from hearing this shocking piece of information in Rhonda's casual tone.

'Um…when are we going to do this?' choked Kel.

'In about half an hour,' Rhonda replied, ignoring Kel's sickened look.

Rhonda's plan was simple. They stopped the sled and hid in an empty barn, until their victim approached on his sled. Then Rhonda ran out into his path. Upon catching sight of Rhonda, who was waving her arms around as though in distress, the man slowed his dogs and gradually came to a halt. Rhonda staggered towards him and then in one decisive movement she had slit his throat.

Scarlet blood blossomed onto the white snow and Kel felt bile rising in her throat. There was nothing remotely honourable about the man's death. He hadn't even had a chance. Alex turned away and Kel was relieved to at least see a little bit of remorse in his eyes.

'It had to be done Kel. In the long run more lives will be saved.' He then added, 'Anyway, he works for Maggur,' as though that settled and justified the violent killing.

Kel watched, still shocked at what had happened, as Rhonda loosed the dogs so that they could return home and then thoroughly searched the man's supplies.

Returning, Rhonda helped Alex and Kel to manoeuvre their sled outside again and once again they sped off across the ice and snow.

It had all happened so fast that Kel barely had time to comprehend it. It was difficult to feel any satisfaction with the man's death. She hadn't seen any evidence of his wrong-doing. She didn't even know his name. Trying to rid herself of her overwhelming sense of guilt, Kel concentrated instead upon wondering how Sekholm's inhabitants were going to pick up their livelihoods and flee.

It took them all day to reach Sekholm's Retreat and night had really fallen by the time that they arrived. Kel dozed on and off, occasionally listening in to Rhonda and Alex's conversations about people and places that she'd never heard of. When they finally arrived, her leg muscles were cramped and she felt immensely tired.

Maia was surprised, but pleased to see them back and seeing the state of Kel's exhaustion tried to usher her to bed, but Kel wasn't going anywhere without Alex. She wasn't going to be left out of any plans that he might make with the Clan Chief of Sekholm.

Sure enough, as soon as their belongings were stowed away, Alex sought out the clan chief, Rhonda and Kel trailing behind.

'I request an urgent audience with Chief Llatimor,' Alex said bowing low and naming the current Clan Chief of Sekholm.

'The Chief has retired for the evening,' said a stiff-faced guard haughtily.

'It can't wait,' said Alex urgently.

'I'm sorry but-'

'Don't you understand?' shouted Alex, 'it's urgent, that means I need to see him _now!_'

'Well, on your head be it,' said the guard, slouching and stepping behind the curtain that obviously led to the Clan Chief's headquarters.

'Come in,' called a deep voice that was not the stuffy guardsman's.

The three of them stepped around the curtain and stopped on the other side, bowing low.

'Chief Llatimor, I come bearing urgent news-,' started Alex.

'I had surmised that,' said the man who sat before them, 'judging by the way you were shouting at my guard.'

'I'm sorry, but I had to,' said Alex, a faint pink tinge colouring his cheeks. 'Sir, my sister and I were travelling to Miltrak with my friend here, and on the way we stopped at an Inn. What we overheard there...' he trailed off. 'You are a clever man Llatimor, it might not be public knowledge but you know as well as I do that Maggur has been trying to ruin the alliance between you and Shimunght-'

'That is old news,' boomed Llatimor, 'Shimunght and I remain on good terms as ever. If he thinks his petty rumours will-'

'I must interrupt,' said Alex impatiently, 'Maggur has changed tactics, and as soon as the snow melts his is planning to attack Sekholm.'

Silence filled the cave and Llatimor stared at Alex, his light blue eyes glued to Alex's hazel ones, as though seeking to see a trace of a lie there.

'Do I know you?' he said finally.

Alex bowed,

'Hans Strongarm at your service. I beg that you heed my advice; you have to evacuate the women and children. There are no defences here at Sekholm. They must flee to Rokang.'

'I do not _have _to do anything,' pointed out Llatimor, 'and who are you to advise me Hans Strongarm?'

Alex stared defiantly at the man.

'I know a fair bit about fighting,' he said vaguely. 'From what we overheard, Maggur is planning to attack in the first week of March. In other words when the snow has mostly melted and the good weather returned.'

'The passes are closed,' said Llatimor wearily, 'even if I wanted to evacuate my people they can't get to Rokang.'

'In the week before he attacks you should be able to, with the God's blessings,' said Alex.

'And then what is to stop him from looting our homes and following us up the mountain path?' asked Llatimor sharply.

'A defending force,' replied Alex.

'So you think that any group of fighters that we can conjure up can hold their own against Maggur's army?' asked Llatimor incredulously.

'It depends upon where you fight your battle,' said Kel, speaking for the first time.

Instantly, four pairs of eyes were upon her. Swallowing, she continued;

'Well, I mean,' she said inhaling deeply, 'if you start the fight on your terms, at a narrow place in the mountain pass, then you should be able to gain a significant advantage and defend yourselves adequately. Well,' she amended, 'for long enough to allow the women and children to reach Rokang.'

Llatimor's eyes scrutinised Kel and a minute of silence passed following her comment.

'She's got a point,' put in the pompous guardsman, 'if my Chief permits me to speak?' he asked Llatimor graciously. Llatimor waved an impatient hand.

'At Basin-point, the pass narrows to about thirty metres across and the ground is flatter there, which would allow us to fight. We could also lay traps and suchlike before then. Besides, just above Basin-point is a small plateau where we could make our camp.'

Llatimor stood up.

'I have the sight,' he said slowly 'and I can tell that you speak not only the truth, Hans Strongarm, but that you speak it for the good of our homeland. We shall hold a meeting in the morning with my council to which you and this young lady, shall attend,' he said, gesturing at Kel. 'We still have time, which is the important thing. I thank you, all three of you for the service which you have done Sekholm this night.'

Recognising their dismissal, the three of them bowed low and departed. As Kel and Alex returned to Maia's cave, Kel wondered why Rhonda hadn't spoken up in front of Llatimor. _Maybe she felt intimidated by being in front of the Clan Chief, _mused Kel.

Kel hadn't been in the least bit awed by Llatimor, finding that after having lived at Yamani and Tortallan court for most of her life, a Clan Chief sitting on a wooden block in a cave wasn't all that imposing.

* * *

Early the next morning Kel found herself sitting next to Alex and observing the council of Llatimor of Sekholm. The aforementioned man sat at the head of the circle and on either side of Kel and Alex sat the fourteen men who advised the Chief on matters concerning the Clan.

Kel wondered vaguely whether there was anything symbolic about having fourteen advisors; whether it was related to the fact that there are fourteen clans. Llatimor's deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

'We gather this day to discuss alarming news about Maggur's continued campaign of dominance. Last night I received news from Hans and Elinah Strongarm that in the first week of March, when the snows have melted enough to allow so, Maggur's army will advance upon Sekholm and attempt to take our Clan by force. This cannot be allowed to happen. We must defend our families and our Clan's honour at all costs.'

'We have no defences,' pointed out a man with hooded eyes, 'our home was not built for such purposes. How can halt an army the size of the one that undoubtedly will be sent against us?'

'I do not believe that Maggur will pit his entire force at us,' said Llatimor slowly, 'he thinks that we will be easy-pickings, not expecting to be attacked, unarmed.'

'Let him come,' grunted a large muscular man, sat directly opposite Kel, 'we will show the traitors who answer to Maggur the might of our Clan.'

Murmurs of approval broke out at this suggestion, but Kel alone heard Alex's incredulous snort. Kel privately agreed, all the courage in the realm couldn't stay Maggur's army with a fighting force so small. Llatimor, to Kel's relief seemed to have more sense than half his council put together because he held up a hand for silence.

'Brave words,' he told his advisor, 'but I have spent the night assessing our situation and we have no choice but to flee.'

Several mouths dropped open at this statement and Kel felt a stab of impatience; surely these people had realised that they had no other option.

'But my Chief,' wheedled another blonde man, 'we have lived here since the time of our grandfather's.'

'We _must _flee,' said Llatimor, his tone final. 'Our alliance with Rokang holds firm. We shall evacuate the women and children as soon as possible. Our fighting force shall then hold the army at bay in the mountain passes, fighting them on _our _terms. In the passes, we shall have the advantage as it will be difficult for an army to travel their. Once we reach Rokang we will be able to withstand siege. We can then set up a temporary settlement between Rokang and Moshaus. As long as Rokang holds firm, we shall be safe from Maggur.'

'And what does Shimunght want in return?' asked a shrewd, thin looking man who sat next to Alex.

'He will undoubtedly ask for fighters to help defend his fort. But I see no reason for difficulties to arise between us. Our two Clans have been allied for many years.'

'I see that my Chief has made a decision,' nodded a hard-faced man, 'now all that remains to be decided is where we make our stand, and how we shall organise our warriors.'

There was no more trifling. For another two hours the men debated and by the end it was generally agreed that they should fight at Basin-point. Kel said very little, occasionally contributing when she saw a flaw in the men's plans. When she explained her suggestions the looks of barely contained disdain changed to that of mild respect.

'How is it that one so young knows so much about warfare?' asked the shrewd, thin man.

'I read a lot,' said Kel quickly. 'I've read all about the battles of many countries and have examined their fighting styles. I find it fascinating…' she trailed off, pretending to be abashed.

'Don't forget that she is a warrior herself,' said the hard-faced man. 'She was the one who beat Rnishct on the first day of Midwinter.'

Kel nodded her head, allowing her cheeks to colour slightly and hoping that the men would believe her lies. In truth she had heard most of the stories of battles from the warriors themselves. Mainly the Yamani soldiers, but her old history teacher Sir Myles of Olau had described Tortallan battles so well that they had seemed to come alive in Kel's head.

In truth Kel had never even seen a battle, except perhaps the spidren hunt with the King's Own. The King's Own. How many times since then, in long, lonely hours at the Convent had she dreamed of leading a group of men into battle, of discussing battle plans with great warriors such as Raoul of Goldenlake. She had played out great scenes of victory in her head, as her men fought heroically against Scanrans. Against Scanrans. How ironic that she was now fighting for the Scanrans.

Someone was tapping her on the shoulder. It was Alex, interrupting her tangle of thoughts.

'The meeting's over,' said Alex, one eyebrow raised, 'you seemed to be quite far away.'

Kel's insides squirmed in embarrassment.

'It's alright little one,' said Alex, heaving her up, 'you didn't miss anything important.'

Together they returned to Maia's empty cave.

'Um…well…' Kel struggled to find the right phrase, 'did you think that was a waste of time?' Kel finished bluntly. 'I mean, we'd pretty much established all of that last night. Only the last half an hour was really discussing anything important.'

Alex smiled, his expression amused.

'I quite agree that only the last half an hour was covering any new ground, but as to whether it was a waste of time…' He sat down, 'as you noticed, Llatimor had decided last night when and where to evacuate the Clan to, but he has to have the approval of his Clan. In discussing it with the men, he made them feel as though they were part of the decision. He's a clever man Llatimor, in doing what he did he ensured that the men will help enforce his rule instead of objecting it. In short, he makes the men feel important, as though each of them has a direct contribution into the running of the Clan, when really, half of them have got less intelligence than a-' Alex stopped himself before he said anything rude and ruffled Kel's hair.

'That seems very…sneaky,' said Kel, in slight disapproval.

'I'm sure your King in Tortall does exactly the same thing,' said Alex chuckling. 'If ever you're in charge of a large group of people, call the powerful as well as the intelligent to "guide" you. If you make decisions without them, people who have power can make your life difficult, make them feel included and manipulate them into agreeing with you…' he shrugged and got up. 'Shall we work on your swordplay?' he asked.

Kel grinned and stood up, ready to empty her head of all of her confused, conflicting thoughts and immerse herself in the art of fencing.

* * *

The next five weeks of Kel's life seemed to pass faster than the time it took Peachblossom to decide he liked biting Neal. Every hour seemed to be filled with swordplay. Alex was pushing her harder than ever and she could feel her body responding to the increased challenge. Her muscles became rock hard and her reflexes grew ever quicker.

There was much organising of the supplies and possessions that the women, children, old and infirm would be taking with them to Rokang. Those who had volunteered to form the fighting force, warriors which included Kel and Alex, trained day in, day out, sparring against each other and honing their skills.

Many had been shocked to discover that Kel would be staying behind, but not so much because she was the only female fighter, but because of her age. However no one kicked up a fuss because of their limited numbers, they needed every person who could heft a weapon.

One afternoon, when Alex had disappeared to discuss something with Rhonda, Kel had found herself watching a group of horribly inexperienced boys. She didn't like to think how long they were going to last in battle. Going over to them, Kel began to subtly teach them. She just pointed out little things; a change in grip or a change in the angle of their blade, little things which might save their lives. At first they had seemed reluctant to follow the advice of a girl, but once she had disarmed their leader three times in quick succession, they seemed more open to her suggestions.

The anniversary of her flight from the Convent came and went, without Kel even realising it. She was busy from sunup till sundown, the Retreat a hive of activity.

After about three weeks, Alex had taken her back to the forge and helped her create a second sword. It was slightly longer than her current one and without the gleaming finish, but Alex had examined it and pronounced it at usable weapon. Kel had a sheath made, the same as the one for her dagger, and had taken to wearing both swords. Alex had done the same, after explaining to Kel that if she was disarmed in battle the extra sword would save her life.

Alex had also had to make Kel some armour, because the ones that the Clan were supplying were miles too big. He hammered away, using Kel's measurements, to create her own, individual armour. When he had finished, Kel had tried it on and marvelled at how light it was.

Alex had made it from a special alloy of steel which was strong but light and because it was made to her own measurements, it didn't restrict her movement in the slightest.

The armour consisted of a fitted breastplate that ran from her hips right up to her neck. This covered her front and back from attacks. Her arms were protected by light chain mail and her forearms by protective metal cuffs. The chain mail also extended into a skirt that covered her upper legs. The mail was attached to a black tunic for added warmth. She had also been given a small helmet which fitted snugly on top of her head. The final piece of her outfit was a pair of soft black, knee-high leather boots, which had small metal plates sewn into the leather.

Kel had been surprised to learn that she would not be wearing any type of gauntlet and when she had asked Alex about this, he had simply explained;

'If you wear something over your hands, you decrease your grip on the weapon.'

Fully kitted out, Kel felt ready, well as ready as one ever could be, for the impending battle.

* * *

Although Kel had forgotten that she had been missing now for over a year, others didn't. Lucie of Cavall spent the day in quiet contemplation of the girl whom she had been so privileged to know, even for such a short amount of time.

Kel had sacrificed herself to save Lucie and that would forever be a debt that Lucie couldn't pay.

As soon as Lucie had recovered from the shock of the attack, her father had escorted her home personally, and Lucie had been at Cavall ever since. She didn't complain, after all, without Kel she didn't have many friends at the Convent anyway. She contented herself with drawing. Hour after hour, she stayed locked in her room, drawing everything from flowers to images of Kel as Lucie imagined her, when she was a page.

She looked up from her current drawing, a picture of two girls sitting together on a window seat, as she heard a knock on the door.

'Come in,' she called, twisting in her chair.

Her father entered the room, his face pink with cold.

'Father!' Lucie exclaimed, as she jumped to her feet, 'I didn't know you were here!'

'We're just riding through,' explained Lord Wyldon. 'I'm going to catch up with the Company in a couple of hours.'

Lord Wyldon looked down onto the desk, on which the half-finished picture of Kel and Lucie still lay. He looked from the picture to his youngest daughter and then hugged her tightly.

'You still miss her?'

Lucie nodded miserably into her father's chest.

'But she might still be alive,' said Lucie, almost to herself more than her father.

'We can only hope,' said Wyldon, although in his heart he didn't believe it.

'I sometimes dream about her,' said Lucie quietly, 'and she's fighting, she's still fighting.'

'I wish-' Wyldon's voice cracked. 'I should've let her stay-'

'We all make mistakes Daddy,' said Lucie, 'what happened at the temple wasn't you fault. It was our decision that took us up there in the first place-' Lord Wyldon hugged his youngest, and favourite daughter even tighter still.

'Lucie, I think you have to prepare for the worst-' he felt Lucie tighten in his arms, 'she's been gone a year and…and I don't think she's coming back.'

And he left, quietly shutting the door behind him. Lucie returned to her desk and sat there, fat tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping on to the picture in front of her.

* * *

On the day of the evacuation of the Retreat, there were many tears as people finally had to accept that they were leaving their homes, both summer and winter behind. How many of their summer homes would still be standing when they returned, Kel didn't like to guess, but she was heartily relieved when the groaning, wailing and chattering crowd moved out of sight along the path.

Several hours later, ready for battle in her armour, with a thick cloak and headscarf for warmth, Kel began to march next to Alex as part of one of the ten squads that would be protecting the fleeing inhabitants of Sekholm.

Rhonda had gone ahead with the women and children and Alex explained that while Rhonda was deadly when armed with knives and daggers, she had no experience in warfare and couldn't handle a sword, axe or a bow.

Despite being the third week of February, icy winds still howled down the pass and they moved slowly on foot. The few dogs they had found were being used to transport supplies, and by the end of the first day, Kel was dead on her feet. She ate a hurried supper and buried herself deep in her bedroll in the tent that she shared with Alex.

The second day was much the same as the first. Occasionally the squads would stop to build traps for the enemy, but as one man had pointed out, once they were wary of traps the enemy would probably find the most of them anyway.

The sun shone down upon the marching soldiers, but the air was chilled and gusts of freezing air tugged and teased at their clothes and packs. Kel marched on and trying to ignore the growing pain in her aching feet began to acquaint herself with the nine other people in the Fifth Squad. The men told her all about their children, what they normally did for a living and how long they had lived in Sekholm.

The more they talked, the more Kel felt that she understood the Scanran people. They in turn asked her questions and on more than one occasion Kel found herself improvising as their questions became more and more detailed.

In the evenings she huddled around the fire with her comrades and listened to stories old and new about Scanran history.

'It's your turn Elinah,' said a voice, jerking Kel out of her sleepy reflections.

'What?' said Kel bemusedly.

'It's your turn to tell a story,' explained the man called Jackoyb.

'I think we've heard pretty much every Scanran story tonight,' Kel pointed out, running a hand through her tangled hair.

'Well it doesn't have to be a Scanran story,' yawned Michd.

'I remember one that a travelling storyteller once told,' said Kel slowly. 'I think it's from the Bazhir, you know in Tortall.'

All of the men sat up interestedly and Kel glanced warily over at Alex, who was immersed in a conversation with members of his squad.

'It's the legend of the Burning-Brightly One and the Night one and how they slew the Nameless Ones.'

Everyone was listening now, and it was clear that this was a new story to them. Kel recounted, with a little embellishment, all that she could remember of the Bazhir legend. She remembered the first time that she had heard it; during a history lesson with Sir Myles of Olau. Sir Myles's classes often went off topic and in this particular class they had wandered unwittingly into the subject of the Black City and those who had built it. Zahir had made the sign against evil at this point and Sir Myles, as sharp as ever, asked Zahir to explain the Bazhir beliefs and legends involving the City. After about half an hour of discussion of the Old ones, Sir Myles proceeded to explain how his adoptive daughter and the King had defeated the Nameless ones.

As Kel finished her tale, she became aware that Alex was watching her. She smiled at him and, excusing herself from her squad, she joined him at his squad's fire.

'How many more days travelling have we got left?' asked Kel, stretching out her hands to warm them in the fire's glow.

'Four, until basin-point and another two days after that, although on horses it will only take about half a day' replied Alex. 'As soon as the refugees arrive, Rokang will send us horses and we can escape up the pass. We just need to hold our position at Basin-point until the horses arrive.'

'Mithros willing,' said a man whose face was hidden in shadow.

'I think I'm going to go to sleep now,' said Kel, yawning again.

The men in Alex's squad bid her good night and Kel retreated yet again into the comparative warmth and comfort of her bedroll.

Basin-point did indeed look like a large basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains, and the pass that continued on the other side of the "basin" had narrowed down into a twenty-five metre wide gully that continued on into the mountains.

They crossed the "basin" and continued a little way up the pass until there was a plateau upon which they made their camp. Being so high up in the mountains meant that there was very little wood, only enough to make a few small campfires; certainly not enough to build any fortifications with.

Instead a few loose rocks were piled up in the pass to serve as a sentry post and a place for archers to shelter.

Kel helped everyone to set up their tents. Eight squads had stayed to guard the pass and two had stayed with the refugees. Eighty men, pitted against whatever Maggur would throw at them. Having finally settled in the place that they were going to make their stand, a grim mood had settled over the soldiers.

Kel herself was cold, tired and dirty, wishing for nothing more than a hot bath. She was just fantasizing about great mugs of hot green tea from the Yamani Isles when a great commotion banished all thoughts of hot drinks from her mind.

'They're here already? Are you sure?'

A harassed looking man, seemingly in his late thirties was trying to fight his way through the crowd to reach Llatimor. Kel, now completely alert, watched as he bowed low to his leader.

'My Chief, I just went for a scout around, and there is a point further up the path there, where you can see right down the mountain and there is a small army about two miles away from us.'

'Are they stationary? Have they settled down for the night?' Llatimor wanted to know.

'No my lord,' said the man miserably, 'they're marching straight at us.'

A murmuring broke out among the crowd and in a great crescendo the murmurings got louder and louder until;

'Silence,' roared Llatimor. 'The enemy is here earlier than we expected, but no matter. It's going to take our women and children another day and a half to reach Rokang and another half day for the horses to be bought back, so we've got to defend this pass until sundown in two days time. I want every man to prepare himself for battle immediately and for squads one, three and five to stand alert in the pass. All other squads are to grab as much rest as possible, because I fear it's going to be a long night.'

Kel adjusted her armour nervously and picked up her helmet from where it sat on the ground beside her. It was time to fight.

* * *

**(-a/n- **Please don't be mad at me for the late update … I hope the length of this chapter will make up for it. Don't forget to check out my map of Scanra (the link is on my profile page) as it took me HOURS to make!! Anyway, I promise you're gonna have a major battle scene next chapter :D Hopefully I'll update soon, but that depends on my GCSE results which come out tomorrow…if they're good then I'll be happy and update soon :D )

As always please review, it doesn't take long and I love to know what you think!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	28. The Battle

**(-a/n-**Okay, contrary to the late update I was ecstatic with my results, I had just forgotten that we were going on holiday for a week in Cornwall… Anyway, I'm back to school tomorrow, so updates will probably be weekly, but this all depends on how heavy my workload is…

I just want to let everyone know that I will _never_ abandon this story, so no matter how slow the updates are, I _will _finish it :D The other question that everyone seems to be asking, is how long it's going to be. As to this, I have no answer, I have a detailed plot written out, but I have no clue how many chapters it'll take, but I can promise you that it is going to be long!

For those who asked; Kel is currently 12 and a half years old, and would be halfway through her third year of page training, had she stayed.

As always a massive thank you to everyone who reviewed; it is your kind words of encouragement that have inspired me to spend the last afternoon of my summer holiday to write another chapter :D Much love and cookies to you all!)

**Confusedknight xxx**

**Ps,** I think that at some point, I'm also going to go back and completely spell & grammar check everything, because some of the first chapters are a bit sloppy…

These are the fab people who reviewed:

**LadyKnightSusan**, Grace of Masbolle, **Me**, lady knight keladry, **The knights who until recently said Ni**, SaoirseWaveglow, **mangolady**, Hasamaki, **seven3eight**, ThJaFl, **Krae Z. Rokke**, Golden23, **creepygirl13**, epobbp, **Pie of Doomeh**, Tsumetai Taiyoukai, **peddyviolin**, theknightofkonaha, **The Sherberty Lemon**, On top of cloud 9, **XIII Dragon**, Uncertian Destiny, **Abbs of the faeries**, BlackWidow12, **Lady Sapphirea** CelticGoddess09, **oirishgoddess**, killing u with umbrellas, **Erynfaer**, Lisy111, **bookworm-4-ever2012**, I love Fallen!, **13.shimer.13**, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, **Erytha**, Tammyecklemoom, **Cede**, brezzybrez, **Yabberli**, Evil Bunny of Death, **charity**, Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm, **Kelly**, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, **Nyleve**, Orohippus, **Blaz-Grl** ACertainJustice, **Lady-Luthien-Ancalimon**Kathy, **Elentariel**, stagflower13, **truffletruffle01**, SavingSaturn, **NotAfraidToLive** & PuddyTatt.

**SarahE7191** GCSE's are exams that you take in England at the age of 16…(you normally take them in about 9 subjects or so…)

**fairydust000** I used a map from the books as my outline, and then using paint (very high-tech I know!) I extended Scanra, removed all of the confusing roads and borders that are on the book maps, put in some blue rivers and then copied the Scanran places off of my hand drawn map! I'm glad you like it :D Also thanks for the sugar and the cherry! Mmm:D

**Transfiguration** See above for how I made the map :D You'll have to wait a few more chapters for romance, for now it's just the fight for Sekholm's people :D

**Right or Ryn** As I've said above, GCSE's are exams set in England by the government which you take at 16…

**Hunchbook** lol, It's lovely to have reviewers who consider all of those things :D Firstly, for ventilation, in my mind there were air tunnels and things built for such purpose, I was going to write it in, but didn't find anywhere appropriate for the information. As for wood, most buildings are made of stone I imagined, and any wood needed, will be imported from the northern forest :D Thanks for pointing everything out, as I try to make everything as believable as possible ;D

**elfie-may** hehe! You called me goon again! –chuckles hysterically- Anyway school tomorrow :S You changed your name…I just noticed…

**Group Askew** Yup, I made up all the clan names except Rathhausak and Hamrkeng :D

**JaBoyYa**Dom will be brought into the story, when Kel returns to Tortall. As for your other question, you'll have to wait and see :P

**RLM** You stayed up till 5!!!! Wow, I'm flattered, very little can keep me awake that long! (Except perhaps new Harry Potter books :D)

**omateido** smoking is bad for you:P You PRINTED it out?!? All of it??? How many pages was that? I'm glad you're enjoying it :D Thanks for reviewing too :D

**oldman543** Thanks for the CC, I'm trying not to progress her skill too quickly, but I have to move the plot forwards otherwise this will be plain boring. She's also progressing quicker because her swordplay training is more concentrated than it would have been, if she'd have stayed at the palace. Instead of learning all the different fighting methods, she is just learning to fence. Also the thing about muscle mass, Alanna always managed to beat larger opponents, so I figured it's more a question of skill.

I don't have a beta, but I try to check my work thoroughly, as I said above, when I get time I'm going to correct the first ten chapters or so, as I think that there are probably a whole load of mistakes. Once again thanks for the CC, it's nice because it makes me more determined to improve my writing quality ;D

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

A pale moon illuminated the empty pass that lay before Kel and her fellow soldiers. The icy wind that battered them had muffled all sound of the approaching enemy and an eerie silence reigned.

Kel shivered involuntarily; the wind seemed to be sneaking in through gaps in her armour to chill the flesh beneath and her hands were balled into fists, each icy digit feeling as though it might simply fall off at any moment.

Something moved in the gloom that lay just beyond Kel's range of clear sight. She stiffened; a single man was half running, half stumbling towards them. As he drew closer, Kel recognized the Sekholm insignia emblazoned upon his breastplate –a hammer and anvil set before two mountains.

'They are coming,' panted the scout, as he reached Llatimor who stood at the head of the defending force.

'How many?' asked the Chief.

'In numbers greater than our own,' the man replied, 'but I cannot be exact, this may just be a scouting party.'

'You have done well,' praised Llatimor, before turning to face the twenty-nine men and one girl who would follow him into battle, and maybe to death. 'Have courage in the strength of your arms, my men. We will outlast anything that Maggur sends to us. We have fifty men ready and waiting, just one horn-call away. We have determination and the honour of a clan who has resisted this dog, Maggur, and tonight we shall fight for our women and children, for their and for our freedom.' With this heartening speech, he drew his axe and held it aloft. Silently the men and Kel copied him, hefting their various weapons.

Kel's heart began to pump madly, supplying her body with adrenalin and she suddenly felt wide-awake, ready to face her first real battle.

Five minutes later, the faint sound of steel-clad feet on rock could be heard. It grew louder until the first wave of Maggur's army appeared from around a bend in the pass. By Kel's reckoning there were at least seventy armoured men, led by a man atop a warhorse. One lazy hand gesture from the general and the foot soldiers halted. The general then rode forward on his horse.

'Give up your people to Maggur, Llatimor and they shall be permitted to live,' he said in a harsh, uncaring voice. 'We have many more fighters than you, give up and your men shall be spared.'

'Never shall I hand my Clan over to that pig,' spat Llatimor, 'we will defend our clan always.'

'Then you have sentenced your men to death,' replied the enemy's leader with a cruel sneer as he rode away.

Kel took a deep breath, hoping that the man would lead his army back to their camp for the night, but it was not to be. With a mighty roar, the enemy charged up the slope and into the basin.

'For Sekholm,' roared the defending force as they plunged headlong into the advancing army.

A cacophony of noise overwhelmed Kel as the two forces collided. It was fighting as Kel had never seen it before. It was utter chaos, in the half-light it was near impossible to tell which of the two men fighting next to her was friend and which one was foe.

Her first adversary, huge and blonde like most Scanran warriors, wielded a sword clumsily. Even so, it took Kel a good few minutes to defeat him. He fell backwards onto the already bloody rock and lay convulsing, blood pouring from the gash in his neck.

Kel barely had time to realise that she had killed her second ever person, before she was engaged in combat yet again. Kel fought carefully. This was not a duel on a court, where she could immerse herself in the fight and the movements of her sword; she had to keep half an eye focused on the men around her. One misstep could cause her to trip over a fallen man; a mistake that could cost Kel her life.

She was still battling furiously against an axe-man when she heard three short blasts of a horn –the signal for retreat. With an almighty effort, Kel batted the axe to the man's left, forcing him to step to counter act the force and as he did so, she escaped, disappearing into the melee of retreating men.

Kel stumbled up the pass to rejoin Llatimor and the others. The enemy, she noted were also regrouping, but Kel thought that they would press their advantage all too soon and attack in full strength once more.

She was wrong. To the utter surprise of everyone, the enemy slunk back into the shadows of the pass and out of sight. The basin was littered with corpses, some groaning feebly, some deadly still.

'They'll be back,' rumbled Llatimor, 'they'll probably return at daybreak with their full force. Squad captains bring in the injured and the dead and then get some rest. I'll arrange for squads two, four and seven to guard the pass.'

As Kel gathered around Jackoyb, her captain, she noted that two were missing from their number. Michd and Kenl.

'You know what we've got to do,' said Jackoyb grimly. 'We need to find Michd and Kenl.'

Kel followed the large but shy Ricth and picked her way over boulders and around the enemy dead. They found Michd almost immediately, the sword that killed him still sticking out of his stomach. It took four of the remaining men to lift him back to camp and so Kel was left with Ricth and Llelon, Jackoyb having stayed to talk with Llatimor.

Kel felt sick as the stench of blood and dying overwhelmed her, she removed her helmet and vomited, throwing up the contents of her stomach. Wiping her mouth and gasping, she looked up. The other men had continued on. Carrying her helmet under her arm, she began to return to them. Almost level with Ricth, she felt something tug feebly upon her boot. It was one of Maggur's men. He lay in a pool of his own blood, the little of his face that Kel could see was pale and his breathing came in short gasps. Kel knew a dying man when she saw one.

'Stay with me,' he begged, 'I don't want to be alone.'

To Kel's horror, the fallen warrior began to weep, clutching at the air with his hand. She stood for a moment in indecision. Then, unable to ignore the last wish of the man, she knelt down beside him and removed his helmet.

'Thank you,' he gasped, through his tears.

'Shh,' Kel soothed, 'it's alright.' Silently she prayed for the Black God to relieve this poor man from his suffering. She wiped his eyes gently with her sleeve. Now able to see her properly for the first time, the man's eyes widened.

'You're a girl,' he said, before lapsing into a fit of body-wracking coughs. 'What's this land coming to?' he said despairingly, when the coughing had subsided. 'When little girls are fighting the enemy most men are afraid to face.'

Kel paused for a moment, unsure of what she should say.

'I fight because it is the right thing to do,' she replied slowly, 'Maggur has got to be stopped.'

'That's what I thought too,' he gasped, 'but Maggur has my family, my wife and my children, if I do not fight then I as good as sign their death sentences.'

Kel's insides were drenched in cold horror. The man that lay before her was not evil, he had no quarrel with Sekholm, he was just trying to protect his family.

'Still, they're safe,' he croaked, 'I wish I could see them…' his voice broke and he began to cry again.

Kel grasped his bloody hand and squeezed it tightly, reassuringly.

'You are a brave man,' she soothed. 'Do not despair for your wife and children. Maggur will be stopped,' she paused, 'there are people working against him. Your children won't grow up under his tyranny.'

'Elinah?' asked a voice behind her. Without letting go of the soldier's hand, she craned her neck upwards to see who spoke. It was Ricth. She had a sudden idea.

'Heal him,' she pleaded, 'you have the gift, heal him.'

'El, I can't,' said Ricth sadly, 'his wounds are too serious.'

'Save him,' she shouted, feeling tears beginning to leak out of the corners of her eyes. 'Please,' she continued in a whisper, 'he doesn't deserve to die.'

'I can't,' said Ricth, looking down pityingly at Kel and the fallen warrior. He made to walk away, but turned and said, 'we found Kenl; he's injured his leg, but is not in serious danger.'

Kel nodded, still crying, and turned to the man before her.

'It's alright,' he wheezed, 'not long now.'

Kel squeezed his hand with both of her own, not bothering to stem the tears that dripped down onto his bloody breastplate.

'I'm glad I met you,' he said quietly, 'you give a dying man hope for the world he leaves behind. I thank you-' and he stopped, the light leaving his eyes as he exhaled his last.

Kel howled in grief, leaning forward and sobbing onto his breastplate. When she had regained control of herself, a couple of minutes later, she closed the dead man's eyes and without looking back she returned to the camp, one thought in her mind. _I didn't even know his name._

* * *

Someone was shaking her shoulder and calling "Elinah" and Kel regained consciousness slowly, blinking in the bright sunlight and for a moment she wondered where she was. Alex loomed over her. She looked about.

She had fallen asleep slumped against the rock face. Kel was covered in the grime and dirt of the battle, her swords still belted at her hips and her helmet beside her.

'Are you alright?' asked Alex urgently, 'you're covered in blood.'

'Issnot mine,' slurred Kel as she pushed herself into a more upright position.

'I've just come off of duty,' explained Alex, 'I've been searching for you everywhere, why didn't you sleep in our tent?'

'I wanted to think,' said Kel confusedly, 'I must have closed my eyes…'

'Well you'd better have some breakfast, Maggur's-' Alex said a word that one didn't hear in civilised conversation, '-army has begun to attack again in earnest. There are now six squads required to defend the pass.'

As Kel ate breakfast, everything that had happened the previous night came flooding back in horrific detail. Dragging her mind from the memory of the dying soldier's desperate eyes, Kel forced herself to listen to what Alex was saying.

'Of course not many of his fighters were actually born fighters, many of them are ordinary men, who've been sold into slavery,' said Alex grimly.

'What?' asked Kel suddenly.

'Have you been listening to anything that I've been saying?' Alex asked exasperatedly. But he didn't wait for an answer. 'I was saying that a large percentage of the enemy force is made up of slaves. I presume they are wearing slave collars that are linked to one of the captains and if they don't fight,' Alex drew a swift finger across his throat.

Kel gulped in horror, the food she had just eaten turning to lead in her stomach. Blackmailing was bad enough but slavery? She began to understand just how strong Alex's hatred of Maggur was. As angry as she was with King Jonathon he seemed positively wonderful compared to the man who was butchering Scanra.

'So,' Kel said slowly, 'if they didn't have the slaves, then their force would be a lot smaller.'

'Considerably so,' agreed Alex,' I'd hazard a guess to say that about twenty percent of their force was made of slave fighters.'

'And you say their collars will be linked to one man,' mused Kel, 'how would you break the link?'

'Either by killing the slave or the master,' said Alex, spreading a piece of bread idly. He looked up suddenly his eyes sharp, '_Why?'_

'No reason,' said Kel innocently, knowing that Alex wouldn't buy her answer.

'Don't do anything stupid,' he said warningly. 'The man will undoubtedly be back at their camp, inaccessible and _guarded.'_

Having finished breakfast Kel rejoined the fighters. Llatimor was taking a break from fighting, resting at the top of the pass and surveying the battle beneath him. As Kel approached with a group of fifteen other men, Llatimor turned around, his face unreadable.

'Can any of you men use a bow?'

Kel raised her hand slowly, as did eight others. Llatimor gestured to a pile of bows that lay a few feet away.

'If you station yourselves on that ledge,' he said, pointing to a place some thirty metres away, 'you should be able to take a shot at some of the enemy.'

Alex had not volunteered to be an archer, although Kel had the suspicion that he probably could shoot, it was just that he was of more use as a foot soldier. _As I probably would be too, _she thought with a sigh. However taking up position as an archer would give her time to fortify her plan and access the situation.

Kel glanced down at the battle to select a target. The face of the man who had died the previous night kept arising, unbidden in her mind's eye but she pushed it away. Despite the fact that the majority of the soldiers had been forced into fighting, if it was a choice between them or the Sekholm fighters dying, it had to be them. Sekholm needed all the men it could get, and Kel had to look at the bigger picture.

She slotted an arrow onto the roughly hewn bow._ It's been a while since I did this,' _thought Kel, remembering that the last time she had picked up a bow was when she went hunting for Fanche, which seemed a lifetime ago.

There was a group of the enemy in reserve, and Kel picked these as her first targets, everyone else was too closely locked in combat with one of their own men and Kel didn't have that much faith in her archery abilities, she thought she was just as likely to hit one of the defenders instead of the enemy.

Drawing back the bow string, she let her mind focus solely on her target, she released the arrow, and nothing happened. It whizzed past her target to land in the soil a good seven metres wide. Cursing like a fisherman, Kel sent another arrow in the direction of her target. This one missed too. Unfortunately the men now realised that they were being shot upon and were looking all around for the archers.

Kel's third arrow hit a man in the lower leg, but her fourth arrow flew true and the man dropped like a stone. She picked off men from the edges of the battle, for over an hour, missing as many shots as she hit, but she persevered as she had no instructions to do otherwise.

Finally, as her supply of arrows was reduced to two she straightened up and began to make her way back along the ledge. Something whizzed past her shoulder. Whirling around she saw an arrow, and not one that she recognised. The enemy had found some archers too. Swearing heavily she dropped to her knees and crawled the last few paces until she was sheltered again behind rock where Llatimor stood discussing something with Jackoyb.

'My Chief,' she said, 'be warned, the enemy is now utilising archers.'

'Thank you Elinah,' he said, recognising the only girl in his fighting force. 'It was only a matter of time though.'

Kel bowed and unsheathing her sword launched into battle. Although the conditions were much better than last night, the odds were not. From down on the battlefield it was painfully obvious who had the advantage in the fight and as men were felled right and left, Kel realised that if they carried on as they were then they wouldn't see the day out.

Kel blocked, cut and parried as though she were possessed, but as soon as her opponents fell, new ones replaced them. She could tell the inexperienced from the hardened warriors and tried, when possible to not fatally wound, only enough to put them out of action for a while.

However when a black-skinned man stepped forward and began to trade blows, Kel knew that she was out-matched. The man was almost as quick as Alex and with muscles that she envied. He wore no helmet and little armour, but there was not a scratch on him. Unlike Kel who had sustained various minor injuries in her previous fights.

As she swung her sword low and upwards, his foot lashed out striking her sword with a tremendous force. It was wrenched out of her hand and her wrist exploded in pain. He moved in for the kill and Kel lunged backwards. Instead of gutting her as the blow had been intended to do, it caught on the visor of her helmet, yanking it off of her head, and sending it sailing away.

Kel danced backwards her head reeling, and unsheathed her spare sword with her left hand, her right dangling uselessly. She lifted the sword, ready to block the warrior's sword and saw to her amazement that the man was gaping at her, wide-eyed.

Taking advantage of the situation she leapt forward, the man reacted fast and pivoted, sending his sword smashing into hers. But Kel's left arm held out, forcing his sword away. Before she knew what had hit her, her sword was smashed aside. The blow was not powerful as the other had been and she didn't drop her sword, but it left her right side completely open to attack. But the blow never came.

She stared at the warrior and to her amazement saw him bow and slip away into the horde of battling men. Flabbergasted, Kel retrieved her helmet and first sword, sheathing it hurriedly. Her right wrist was agony and she cradled it to her chest, unable to move it.

All around her were the sights and smells of death, and her hazel eyes were wide in horror. While she was fighting she had had her mind on other things, but now, as she retreated backwards, she was overwhelmed by it all. The screams of men as they perished, the constant clang of metal and the metallic smell of blood.

_This is what they call "seeing the Kraken" _she thought light-headedly. It was only when a man nearby fell, killed by an arrow through the neck, that Kel snapped out of her horrified trance. Men were still dying; she had to do something to turn the tide.

Spotting a fallen soldier in the scarlet tunic of the enemy, she ran over to him. He was dead, his head lolling to one side. Ignoring his sightless eyes, Kel yanked his tunic off of him and pulled it on. She then replaced her own helmet with his one and straightened up; praying silently that this would work.

She began to run in the opposite direction to her camp, towards the enemy's one. She batted aside blows with her sword and as she reached the back of the basin, she sheathed her sword and clutched at her right wrist.

She glanced about the enemy's camp. It looked much the same as the Sekholm fighter's. There was a pile of dead corpses in one corner and Kel noted that it was larger than the one back at her own camp. _Although that doesn't change our chances in battle, as they have more fighters at their disposal._

'What are you doing?' barked a voice in her ear.

'Broken my arm, sir, I can't wield a weapon,' Kel said in a deep voice, trying to act panicky.

'Well get the healers to see to it,' he said dismissively.

Kel had no choice but to follow the direction in which he gestured. The healer's camp was overrun with men, bloody and with limbs hanging at strange angles. Kel grabbed the arm of a healer.

'Please sir, I've just got a sprained wrist,' she said, holding out her injured wrist which had already begun to turn black and blue.

'I've got enough people waiting-'

'But if you heal it I can return to battle,' Kel pointed out, still in a deep voice, her insides churning.

'Very well,' sighed the healer and laid her hand on Kel's wrist. A minute later Kel was leaving the healing tent, her wrist functional once more. Outside the tent lay those who were dying and had just been administered some pain relief. Kel spotted one that wore a slave collar.

Her heart in her throat she approached the dying man.

'Listen to me,' she murmured, 'I haven't got much time, but I need your help.' Through his pain-clouded vision, he stared up at Kel blurrily. 'Who is it that controls the slave collars and where can I find him?'

'Why-'

'Just tell me,' hissed Kel sharply.

'It's Commander Ladokn, his tent's the one with the green edging over there,' the man pointed.

Without bothering to thank the man –there was no time, Kel hurried over to the tent. Her heart sank; there were two burly men assigned to guard the Commander. _Think Kel, think, _she told herself. There was no way that she could fight them. They were twice her size and even if she did win, the commotion caused would mean there would be no way for her to leave the camp.

Stumbling forward, every nerve on fire, Kel stopped in front of the guardsmen.

'I've got a message for the Commander from the healers,' said Kel, disguising her voice yet again.

'Show us your neck,' instructed the smaller guard. Although Kel didn't feel like exposing her neck to the burly guards, she did as she was told.

'He's not a slave Gerult,' said the first guard. 'In you go then, but make it quick.'

As Kel slipped inside, not believing her luck, she though _well I'm in, now I've just got to get out again. _

'Yes?' asked a man in clipped tones. 'What is it?'

'I have a message sir,' said Kel, advancing forward. 'The enemy are breaching the squads, here-' Kel stepped forward on the pretence of pointing out something on the map that lay across the table. But instead, as fast as lightning, Kel clamped her hand over the Commanders mouth, and without preamble, slit his throat.

Shocked at her own actions, Kel laid the man gently forward onto the table, his neck still gushing blood until, within seconds he lay still. The bloody murder weapon still clasped tightly in her hand, she slit the back of the tent canvas and slipped out. She snuck behind the neighbouring tent and then sprinted away.

It was a mark of how much she hated slavery that Kel had been able to murder the man in cold blood. _I'm becoming like Rhonda, _she thought bitterly.

'Hey, you there!' shouted a voice, but Kel didn't stop running. She suddenly heard uproar in the camp behind her.

'Stop that man!' yelled one of the guards.

Kel dodged in and out of confused soldiers and back onto the battlefield. Her legs were burning with the effort of sprinting up the pass but eventually she reached the basin and wove in and out of fighting men, occasionally chopping at the legs of an enemy to aid a fellow soldier.

She had now effectively freed the slave fighters, but the trouble was they didn't know it yet. Despite her healing, Kel still favoured her left hand and as she disarmed a man, slicing down his arm, she spotted Alex. Taking pity on the weapon-less man, she turned her back on him and jogged over to Alex.

Watching Alex fight was something incredible, Kel thought for what must surely have been the hundredth time. He was simply unmatchable in speed or skill, even that black man who had almost killed her earlier didn't even come close.

'What are you doing in the enemy uniform?' asked Alex, eyebrows raised as he killed his foe.

'Oh,' said Kel, ripping off the blood-soaked tunic and helmet. 'I just killed the slave master.'

'You did what?' Alex asked as two more of Maggur's army rushed forward to attack. Fighting alongside each other for the first time since they had been attacked by the Tyrans when visiting George, they managed to keep up a stunted conversation.

'I snuck in and killed him,' panted Kel as she performed the butterfly sweep with her sword.

'The odds of that going wrong…' Alex trailed off, 'I've said it before little one,' he said disarming his opponent, 'you've got the luck of the Gods themselves.'

'If I do,' Kel retorted scathingly as she too overcame her challenger, 'it's because this is a cause worth fighting for. Besides having slave fighters is just…wrong.'

'So how do we go about notifying the slave fighters?' asked Alex.

'I don't know but it needs to be done- ALEX WATCH OUT,' screamed Kel.

Fortunately Alex had enough sense to duck out of the way of the sword that was descending on top of him. Spinning around he came face to face with the black-skinned fighter. It was only then that Kel realised that she had called Alex "Alex" instead of Hans. _Not that anyone would've noticed anyway _she thought, looking at the pure chaos that surrounded them.

Alex, possibly sensing that this was a skilled opponent, was demonstrating the true range of his skill when Kel noticed something.

'You're a slave fighter,' she yelled, the man glanced up in surprise. 'Stop, stop,' shouted Kel. Reluctantly the men both paused. 'Do you want to be fighting for Maggur?' asked Kel breathlessly. 'Your master, the slave master, he's dead, well I killed him…anyway the point is that you're free. You don't have to fight.'

'This is joke?' he said in poor Scanran.

'No,' said Kel earnestly. 'Do you think you can tell the others? We can take you to Rokang, where you won't be expected to fight.'

The man seemed to be considering Kel.

'I shall test, if you tell truth, when I walk up hill, nothing happen to me,' Kel nodded.

'You go, I'll stay here. Tell Llatimor we need a regroup,' said Alex, wiping a hand across his sweaty brow.

'You promise no joke?' he asked.

'I swear it,' said Kel.

They made their way to the edge of the battle and scrambled up the hill. As the man reached the top he let out a whoop of triumph.

'I free,' he beamed at Kel, 'you free me?'

Kel nodded blushing slightly.

'But I need you to tell the other slaves, get them to come up here. But you need to do it quickly before they can find a mage to rebind you all.'

'I be quick,' said the man seriously, before sprinting away.

'My Chief,' said Kel bowing, 'the men say that they need a regroup and…' Kel hesitated. 'The battle might be about to swing in our favour.'

'Indeed?' asked Llatimor raised one eyebrow, 'tell me more.'

Kel explained the basics of her plan.

'How can we trust them though?' mused Llatimor.

'Get them to swear on the honour of their clans,' supplied Llatimor's counsellor. 'Many of them will be from Miltrak and will be angry at their Clan's betrayal, they'll want revenge.'

'But we can't force them to fight for us,' said Kel evenly. At once every eye turned to her. 'If we forced them to fight for us then that makes us no better than Maggur, it has to be their choice.'

'No better than Maggur,' blustered the councillor, but Llatimor held up a hand.

'She is right, it'll be their choice. Find a mage who can remove their slave collars.'

* * *

An hour later thirty-four surviving slaves were prostrating their thanks at begin freed. Fourteen, obviously not warriors by trade, started to make their way up the mountain pass towards Rokang, but twenty stayed for revenge, including the black-skinned warrior.

Kel was taking a well deserved rest and gulping water when he found her.

'From all slaves I thank you,' he said awkwardly.

Now that Kel's brain had settled down a bit, she recognised the accent which tainted his disjointed Scanran.

'You're from Tortall?' she asked in Common.

'You speak Common?' he asked delightedly. 'My Scanran is absolutely dreadful.'

Kel smiled.

'If you're from Tortall what are you doing this far North?' she asked.

'I am, I was' he corrected 'completing my Shang training with my mentor the Shang Boar. We were travelling across Scanra from Galla, heading towards the Yamani Islands, where I am to take my Shang Ordeal, but the Clan that we were staying in, Hastanne, was overtaken by Maggur. My teacher died in the attack and I was enslaved.'

'Then you are from the Bazhir?' asked Kel interestedly.

He nodded.

'Fassin of the Bloody Hawk tribe,' he said with a bow of his head. 'It is far too cold up here for my liking,' he said with a smile. After a few minutes silence, in which Kel examined her bloody fingernails, he asked, 'So how is it that there is one girl fighting for Sekholm, one that speaks perfect Common?'

'It's a long story,' sighed Kel. 'I'm travelling alongside Hans, who you met earlier-'

'The one who I was fighting against?'

Kel nodded.

'But you called him Alex?' asked the Bazhir confusedly. Kel groaned inwardly. Someone had noticed.

'It's a nickname,' said Kel wildly, 'I used to know two people named Hans you see…' Kel hoped that the Tortallan man bought the lie. 'I'm here fighting, I suppose, because I believe that Maggur has to be stopped.'

'But surely you can't believe that this will stop him?' asked the man incredulously. 'I've seen the size of his army and the resources he has, he will crush any resistance.'

'Oh we know we can't win, not yet anyway, but we have to delay the war.'

'Delay the war?' asked the Bazhir, frowning slightly.

'The war that will occur between Tortall and Scanra,' said Kel heavily.

'I see,' said the Bazhir. 'And why do you want to delay this war?'

'So it'll give our country a chance to build up it's army and defy Maggur,' Kel realised when she had said it, how much she had revealed.

'I see,' said the man getting to his feet. 'Well I've troubled you enough, but answer this one last question. When the war comes, on which side will you be fighting?' And Fassin left, leaving Kel thoroughly startled.

* * *

**(-a/n- **Hehe, you've finally met Fassin :D I hope you liked that chapter; it was super fun to write. It was just one of those ones which flowed :D Anyways reviews would be much appreciated as always :P Much love, )

**Confusedknight xxx**


	29. The Battle II

**(-a/n- **Man what a week (or four!) I'd forgotten how hectic life is once you're back at school! I'm taking more subjects than anyone else in my year and therefore am kept busy with all of my work, not to mention the start of the hockey season, performing arts tour rehearsals and the distractions of a new hamster!…well lets just say I've been incredibly busy! I'm really hoping (once I've settled back into my routine) to update once a week :D (-excluding my two week Music tour!)

As always thanks to the awesome people who review, **all **of your reviews really encourage me to keep updating :D

These are the wonderful reviewers:

hail flying spaghetti monster, **geka0taitsume0taikaiyou**, Nyleve, **Ayswen**, ThJaFl, **Grace of Masbolle**, PuddyTatt, **JaBoyYa**, Yabberli, **truffletruffle01**, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, **lady knight keladry**, epobbp**Lady Sapphirea**, Golden23, **SaoirseWaveglow**, Kathy, **cher bear**, the. dead. addict., **Transfiguration**, Evil Bunny of Death, **Cede**, Erytha**Abbs of the faeries** Lady Muck, **crazylittlefox**, Forget Me Not Blue, **Stoned** **Lorikeet**, Erynfaer, **Hasamaki**, BlackWidow12, **omateido**, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, **soupcan**, seven3eight, **Devouring Sarcasm Phantasm**, oirishgoddess, **SongOfSilk**, ACertainJustice, **Me**, SavingSaturn, **storywriter10791**, Rycr, **killinguwithumbrellas**, elfie-may, **On top of cloud 9**, 13.shimer.13, **emerald** **lady**, Beth, **charity**, Hunchbook, **demon**-**gal68**, Bookworm, **rootless californian**, Macko, **NotAfraidToLive**, brezzybrez, **Serilia**, Pie of Doomeh, **Uncertian Destiny**, Serilia, **moon lady13**, RLM, **LadyCrazyMonkeyPants**, Stockings**Lady Zarobiti**, Solute the Star, **Sati Naberrie-Snape** Scarlet Ice Cascading, **Joanna**, Elentariel**Dark Emo Shadow**, seekerchick06, **tricksterslioness** &Mapstone?.

**SarahE7191**I did, Maths, statistics, English, English literature, biology, physics, chemistry, French, Latin, music, P.E & R.E :D

**Right or Ryn** 300???

**youdontwant2no** I'm making it up as I go…(something which I do a lot in life…especially in Maths :D) It would be quite cool to learn how to fence…but I prefer hockey :P

**fairydust000** Thanks for the message…it prompted me to finally finish this chapter!

**Confusedknight xxx **

**

* * *

**

Evening came and so did the retreat of Maggur's men. Both sides withdrew to their camps to nurse the injured and rest their exhausted soldiers.

Kel had lost track of the hours that she had spent on the battle field but she was so tired that she was having difficultly thinking straight. The battle had been a horrendous mess with men fighting everywhere and anywhere until felled by injury or fatigue.

When the defending force retreated to the campsite, Kel cared very little for food or water and instead staggered back to her tent, stinking of blood and sweat. Still fully clad in her armour she fell asleep the moment she lay her head upon the ground.

She wasn't the only one. Alex was likewise exhausted and once satisfied that Kel was alive and relatively uninjured, he collapsed beside her into a deep sleep.

As Kel and Alex lay sleeping, oblivious to the world around them, men were sent out to collect the dead and injured, whilst others were stationed on guard duty, just in case.

Eight hours later and no longer feeling as though she was at the door to the Black God's realm, Kel woke up and rubbed her eyes. To her surprise Alex was still asleep. Kel couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Alex properly sleeping and was shocked at how different he looked. _He looks a lot younger, _she mused, wondering not for the first time how old Alex actually was.

She was just debating whether or not to wake Alex up, when he opened his hazel eyes, staring blearily at her for a split second before his gaze cleared and his eyes regained their usual alertness.

'You should go and get some food,' he remarked, 'I expect this truce won't last long.'

Kel nodded and left the tent. He sat up, with a sigh and covered a yawn, gazing at the tent flap which Kel had just disappeared through. There was no need to tell her that he'd been up half the night covering both their guard duties, he thought. She had enough to worry over.

Now feeling ravenously hungry, having not eaten much the night before, Kel ate her fill of slightly stale bread and dried beef. She washed her meal down with a canteen of water and stood up, stretching her arms.

Kel felt incredibly stiff and decided to go for a short walk to loosen up her limbs. She set off between the tents, stopping randomly to stretch out her muscles properly. All around her she saw men in much the same state as she was -dirty and battle worn.

As she reached the end of the plateau and unwelcome sight met her eyes; the bodies of the dead fighters had been piled unceremoniously, just behind a bend in the rock face. They lay sprawled, bloody and lifeless in the morning sun. These were people's fathers, brothers and friends, all dumped here because there was nowhere else to put them.

Kel retched, suddenly feeling sickened. Refreshed from a night's sleep and well fed in the light of this glorious February morning, it had been easy to forget the horrors of battle for twenty minutes. The reality came crashing in a wave of sorrow and her throat constricted.

She turned, unable to face the sight of the dead men any longer. _You're meant to be a warrior, _she told herself sternly, _you're meant to be able to stand the sight of a few dead men. _But the old tales of gallantry on the battlefield were lies, Kel now realised. Never did the tales describe the sightless eyes and twisted limbs...

Kel blocked off that thought and tried desperately to think of anything other than the grisly sights that she had seen over the last few days.

Returning to the main part of the camp and Kel discovered that the men were all assembling. She slipped in behind Ricth's huge form, to listen to what she presumed was the plan of action for the day.

'My men,' said Llatimor, 'now is not the time to grieve for those we have lost. You have all fought like heroes, and very soon our women and our children will be safe in Rokang. Defend this pass with all the strength you have left, and tonight horses will come from Rokang to bear us safely there.'

A new man's voice sounded, one which Kel didn't recognise, and due to the mass of people in front of her, one which she could not put a face to.

'Yesterday you all fought as individuals,' said the man. 'Today you will fight as units. Your squad leaders all know the battle plan and we ask that in ten minutes you assemble with your squad. Our new recruits will join those squads who have suffered the heaviest losses and when the enemy come you will meet them with all the strength and bravery befitting a man from Sekholm.'

The meeting disbanded with a mighty cheer, the men filled with a fresh hope for the coming day. Kel wondered what the "battle plan" was. A well thought out strategy would be the difference between survival, or annihilation for the men of Sekholm.

When Kel reached the point where her squad was assembled, she did a quick headcount; seven including herself. They had lost three. Kel knew that Kenl wasn't dead, just injured. _It could be worse, _thought Kel as she looked around at some other squads who numbered only four.

After a few minutes a new fighter joined their group. To Kel's disappointment it wasn't Fassin, but the new man seemed to be nice enough, _not that that would matter in the coming battle, _thought Kel. However before they had even started to go over the plan for the battle, the horn sounded; the enemy were approaching.

Kel hurried after the rest of her squad to assemble in the path, to meet the oncoming rush of enemy fighters. Kel's squad attacked and withdrew, then drove in somewhere else. Their change of strategy seemed to be confusing the enemy and after an hour or so, it was clear that the enemy was taking heavier losses.

As Kel charged into battle yet again, seeking out an opponent, she realised that Alex's squad was fighting next to hers; buoyed by the sight of Alex, whole and healthy she parried the enemy's attack and disarmed him efficiently.

At that moment something whistled past her helmet, instinctively Kel dropped as arrows reigned down around her. Next to her someone else dropped, two arrows sticking from his neck. His dying screams could scarcely be heard over the clamour of the battle, but Kel saw Jackoyb's mouth open wide, blood gurgling in the back of his throat. Slowly, as Kel watched, the agonised twitching resided as his whole body went limp. He was dead.

She stood up to find the rest of the squad, or what remained of it, staring in horror at their fallen leader. The arrows were still raining down and each stationary man posed a target.

'MOVE,' she roared, springing up. 'RETREAT!'

The men suddenly jerked out of their horrified trances and fled after her up the pass. Once hidden behind stone rock, the men dropped to their knees moaning in grief for the loss of a person who had trained and mentored some of them since boyhood.

She stared out over the carnage and fought back her own feelings of sorrow. Jackoyb had been a good man, a brave fighter. Another squad had retreated and as she watched, she recognised Alex supporting, half carrying one man who clutched the stump that had once been his arm, blood splashing out onto the rocky ground.

Healers rushed out to aid the man, hurrying him away. Alex spotted Kel and sought her out, trying in vain to wipe his hand clean of the warm, scarlet blood that covered them.

'We lost our captain,' she said despairingly, 'he was the one that knew the –' but Kel was interrupted by a horn call –a request for immediate aid on the battlefield.

'Then you must lead them,' said Alex as he turned to face Kel, his hazel eyes solemn.

'What?' spluttered Kel, unsure if she had heard correctly, 'I can't-'

'Look at them,' he said harshly, grabbing her shoulder and hauling her around so that she faced the sorry group of soldiers from her squad, 'they need a leader or they'll all die.'

'Alex,' said Kel urgently, 'I don't know anything about commanding-'

'Then learn,' he replied flatly, 'or you're all dead.'

He hurried away, back to his squad, leaving Kel rooted to the spot. Anger fuelled by despair was coursing through her. Panic welled in the pit of her stomach, how could Alex just abandon her like this?

Another, shorter blast of horn call, prompted her into action. She marched over to her squad mates, determination etched into every step.

'Get up,' she instructed in a voice quite unlike her own, 'I said get up,' she shouted. 'We've been summoned onto the battlefield to aid our fellows, now for the love of Mithros let's MOVE!'

Shocked, the men stood up, gathering their weapons in surprise as they looked down upon the smallest soldier in Sekholm's army, who was currently glowering up at them, fierce determination shining in her grimy face.

'We fight,' she said simply and with a roar, she charged down the hill. After a split second, the men followed her, adding their voices to her war cry and as a unit they charged into battle. Dimly, somewhere in the back of Kel's mind registered a fierce pride in her squad.

Alex, who had watched the whole spectacle out of the corner of his eye, as he instructed his squad, smiled inwardly, _all it took was a little push in the right direction._

As Kel fought, a different section of her brain seemed to be scheming and calculating. She kept an eye out for potential risks such as enemy archers or enemy reinforcements and at several times ordered the squad to withdraw and regroup. Oddly, keeping an eye out for her comrades wasn't as difficult as she'd envisaged.

* * *

Hours later still and Kel had managed to steer her group out of the worst situations, and despite the freed slave fighter taking a wound to the thigh, no one else had fallen. The group learned to respond quickly to her calls, and nobody questioned her decisions. Kel sometimes thought that she could see traces of relief in their faces; relief that it was she, and not they that were leading the group.

Their latest plan of action, one which they had discussed hurriedly over a twenty minute break in fighting, incorporated charging an area of the enemy line, fighting one opponent and then retreating to dive in somewhere else. In this way, they went wherever help was needed most, often coming to the aid of other depleted squads.

Kel didn't even notice the protestations of her body anymore. Every muscle ached and there wasn't a square piece of her that didn't need to rest. She had acquired several small injuries; a gash on her arm bled freely, and her right wrist still objected to it's usage after the previous day's injury, but she ignored them.

At last, after inexplicably long hours, both on and off the battlefield, night fell and the enemy retreated. Now the soldiers waiting in tense silence, slumped together, or desperately searching for friends, to see if the horses from Rokang would arrive.

Night had well and truly fallen by the time sixty horses arrived, lead by a group of dark-haired men. Wearily men heaved themselves atop the first horse they found, and began to start the journey up the pass. Someone had light the huge, communal funeral pyre and acrid smoke made Kel's eyes smart, as she struggled through the crowds of people, trying to find Alex.

Instead of finding Alex, she came face to face with Rhonda.

'What are you doing here?' she asked blankly.

It took Rhonda a few moments to recognise her.

'Mithros!' she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

'Have you seen Alex?' asked Kel, too tired to care what Rhonda thought of her.

Rhonda shook her head. Kel swore;

'Where is he?' she muttered.

With Rhonda following close behind, Kel picked her way through abandoned tents and cooking pots, until she came to the edge of the camp, where at last she saw Alex. He was standing in the pass, alongside three other men, all of whom were facing out into the darkness, their eyes eagerly scanning the Basin for any sign of movement.

As they approached, Alex turned, and his face, illuminated by the light of the moon, registered surprise at seeing Rhonda.

'What are you doing-'

'I volunteered to help bring the horses,' said Rhonda impatiently. 'By the Black God, you both look a right state.'

Kel was too tired to even comment. If she looked anything as bad as Alex did; bloody and tired, her shining armour covered in scratches and dents, then Rhonda was right.

'How goes the evacuation?' said Alex.

'The men have been instructed to leave everything,' replied Rhonda, 'most of them are escaping as we speak.'

'Good they've all-'

One of the guards let out a cry and then dropped, stone dead, an arrow sticking out of his eye. Kel reacted instinctively and she barrelled into Rhonda and Alex, forcing them to the ground as more arrows peppered the remaining three guards.

Out of the darkness appeared twenty or so men, some clutching bows, others gleaming swords.

'Let's _move,' _said Alex hoisting the two women up, and together they sprinted away, pursued by the foremost men of the attacking force. Rhonda slipped, and tumbled down several metres. Alex was further ahead, shouting futilely to raise the alarm. Kel spun on her heels and ran back to help Rhonda, who was back on her feet and swearing like a fisherman.

Kel leapt into battle, aiming not to wound, but to kill. She had killed two men before an arm yanked her back; it was Alex.

'Let's _go, _there's too many.'

Kel noted that several other men lay dead, ones felled not by her own sword but by Rhonda's daggers. Once again they sprinted away up the path, and WHAM! Something punched into Kel's shoulder, a second later there was excruciating pain.

She dropped to her knees, the world spinning violently. From far away a voice screamed 'Kel!'

Someone slapped her across the face and Alex's face swam into view.

'You've got to get up!' he said, his voice panicky.

Vaguely Kel remembered how to use her legs through the thick mist of pain that was building inside her head. Stumbling and tripping, held up by Alex on one side and Rhonda on the other, they reached the camp.

Kel felt strong arms lift her onto a horse and she cried out in pain as she jolted around on top of the horse as it cantered away from the camp. Blackness was clouding her vision. She was screaming even though she wasn't aware of it, and then she fell, deep into the welcome depths of unconsciousness.

* * *

'Where is she?' shouted Alex, as he pushed past other injured men in the infirmary.

'A healers on her work,' said the deep voice of the freed slave. Fassin's dark eyes were filled with worry as he regarded the man who he knew to be Kel's friend.

'She's not?' choked Alex.

'She live, good chance healer give her,' he said, gripping Alex's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Alex swallowed, forcing back tears and trying not to notice the blood which still glistened on Fassin's tunic; Kel's blood.

'Can I see her?' he demanded.

'You be…er…' Fassin searched for the right word, 'waiting, then you see.'

Alex slumped into a chair, wringing his dirty hands in his lap.

'Thank you,' he said eventually, after a few minutes of silence, 'for getting her out of there.'

Fassin shrugged. Just then Rhonda came through the door. Alex leapt up.

'She's going to be fine,' she said. Alex stepped forward and embraced Rhonda, shaking in relief.

'Can I see her?'

'If you go and get cleaned-' but she didn't have time to finish as Alex had released her and dashed inside. Rhonda watched him go, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Alex entered the room and crossed the space to Kel's bed in three strides. She lay, pale and immobile on the sheets, heavy bandaging visible underneath a large clean shirt which was serving as a nightgown.

A healer was checking her pulse.

'It was in the God's hands for a while,' said the healer tiredly, 'but she pulled through and provided that she rests then she should make a full recovery. The arrow was embedded in her scapula, but it missed the artery that would've proved fatal. We've healed the bone and as much muscle as we can, the rest will heal naturally in time.'

'Thank you,' said Alex, gratefully.

'The man bowed, that's my job,' he said as he finished examining Kel's eyes. 'She won't be awake for several hours, so I suggest that you get yourself cleaned up-' he touched a gash on Alex's cheek, which healed instantly, '-and then return here in the morning.'

Alex thanked the healer yet again, and with one last look at Kel, departed.

* * *

Alex overslept but as soon as he was awake, he hurried down to Kel's bedside and since she was still fast asleep, though her cheeks had more colour in them than the previous night, Alex wandered off to find himself some breakfast.

He hadn't been to Rokang for years, but little had changed. He still found the great mess hall, with it's burning hearths and hams hanging from the rafters. Smelling the delicious scents that wafted from the kitchens, Alex discovered that he was ravenously hungry and stuffed as much hot soup and bread in him as he could possibly manage, before returning to the infirmary.

By the time he returned, the infirmary was packed full to bursting, with people joyfully being reunited, or women searching frantically for their husbands and fathers. Many had broken down with grief at the news of a loved one's death.

A woman with straggly blonde hair, clutched at his shirt, tears pouring down her cheeks.

'Tell me he's not dead,' she wailed, 'tell me!'

Alex tried to comfort the woman as best he could, asking who it was that she was looking for and then, realising that the woman was maddened by grief he gently detached her clutching hands from his shirt and sought out Kel.

As he entered the room, his young protégée smiled weakly up at him.

'How are you feeling?' Alex asked as he sat down.

'Like I've been run over by several stampeding bulls,' she replied, 'and you?'

'I'm fine,' he said smiling. 'Apart from the scare you gave me, I'm absolutely fine.'

He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

'Are you sure you're going to be alright?'

Kel nodded wearily. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Kel asked;

'How many did we lose?'

Alex swallowed, 'Thirty four men and five of the new slave fighters.'

Kel shut her eyes tightly, as though trying to block out the images of the horrendous past few days.

'Hey,' said Alex, squeezing her hand once more, 'if it weren't for you, it would be a lot more.'

At that moment, Fassin poked his head around the door.

'You awake,' he said, as he invited himself in. Kel nodded.

'If it weren't for Fassin here…well…' said Alex, not being able to voice the terrible alternative. 'He swung you atop his horse and galloped for safety. Rhonda and I stayed to help the stragglers.'

'Thank you,' said Kel awkwardly in Common.

Fassin replied in his native language,

'It was no trouble,' he said, his dark eyes twinkling. 'Just don't make a habit of it.'

'I won't,' said Kel with feeling.

'Little idiot,' said Alex fondly, ruffling Kel's, now clean, hair.

* * *

**(-a/n**- So that's the fight over! Next chapter you will learn what Kel's next 'mission' is in Scanra. I hope the fight was believable; I've tried to make it as realistic as possible. As always reviews are much appreciated, as you might get an update before I go on my Music Tour to the USA! )

Much love,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	30. On the road

**(-a/n- **You know I so shouldn't try to predict when I'll next update, because I'm sure it's jinxed. Every single time that I try to say…'oh I'll update within the week' something (-or many somethings) manage to pop up and occupy my time. I had an awesome music tour, and for those of you who asked, I played my flute in the orchestra and sang in the choir :D

The other things that loads of you have been asking are; a) how much time has passed and b) how long is this fic going to be. Well, it's currently spring in what would've been Kel's third year of page training.

As to how long this is going to be…I'd estimate that I'm possibly half way (possibly) I have an incredibly detailed plot all planned out, but I haven't assigned chapters to events because sometimes I get a sudden idea of how to make a minor event more exciting and it escalates…:P Still I hope you'll all still be enjoying this in another 30 chapters time…:P

Thanks as always to the amazing 92 people who reviewed!! (Those who did have been listed below…) If you were one of the 1400 people who did not review, I would say that reviews really do inspire me to write, despite having about six hundred other things that I need to do, and it would be great if you could leave me reviews (even small ones!) It doesn't take long! (Not compared to the 4-5 hours or so that it takes me to prepare each chapter!)

**BSGirl, Salute the Star, Lady Knight Keladry, Eclipsa, Serilia, Mint Tea Rose, LadyCrazyMonkeyPants, geka0taitsume0taikaiyou, Golden23, LadyKnightSusan, Grace of Masbolle, killinguwithumbrellas, the. dead. addict., The Sherberty Lemon, Behind Crimson Eyes, Me, Night-Player, Yabberli, Venuspixie, Arid Tundra, Transfiguration, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, seekerchick06, Erynfaer, Cede, wAstxd1pRocrasTinator, Kaia Papaya, epobbp, omateido, Nyleve, I love Fallen!, Lady Sapphirea, peddyviolin, Forget Me Not Blue, BlackWidow12, Firgof Raina, Uncertian Destiny, Hasamaki, Evil Bunny of Death, jesi ki kage, PsychoLioness, 13.shimer.13, .yashamew, AMulata, truffletruffle01, youdontwant2no, Kathy, after.a.hard.day, PuddyTatt, Blaz-Grl, Eternityfalls, bookworm-4-ever2012, daydream princess, brezzybrez, ACertainJustice, SaoirseWaveglow, Vicky-Lee-47, Skyheart92, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, Abbs of the faeries, oirishgoddess, SavingSaturn, stardust718, mangolady, On top of cloud 9, soupcan, Mrs. Dom Masbolle, Arsera345, Krae Z. Rokke, mountainelements, DeliciousNewYork, ), SongOfSilk, katieoso, kgwoozle, Tearainy, heartdamoose, Hisshou, pinnapleonpizza, BasementPrincess, NotAfraidToLive, dark03rose, Lil' Miss All dat, JaBoyYa, crazyhrsegirl & Rycr. **

**theknightofkonaha**Nope, no songs on youtube, we're not allowed to post anything videos/photos on the internet, because the school gets angry…lol

**SarahE7191** Brotherly! The music tour was with my school :D

**Right or Ryn **hehe, nope I'd never even heard of it! But it sounds good though, I might see if I can rent or something ;D

**Pie of Doomeh** Don't worry my hamster was in the capable hands of my father, who was under instructions to play with him every single day and feed him lots of treats! The bandit attack was in 'Page' so this was the first time that Kel took charge!

**fairydust000** Thanks for the wonderfully long review! I went to the USA with my school, we just signed up for it, rehearsed several times a week for about 4 months and then flew out there! It was such a laugh! (The tour, not the rehearsals :( hehe)

**elfie-may** wow is that how long ago I updated –cringes- man, but anyway, you were right I did so love the Victorian evening!!! –coughs- I hope you are taking good care of the moose :D Calais on Saturday! See ya tomorrow :P

**Hunchbook** Thanks, I've felt like it's improved too, and that is all down to lovely people like you, who review and offer CC :D

**liberator of captured angel...** Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths and P.E!

**Mandaius Meander** I've read his Slaves of the mastery and the Noble warriors :D

**Confusedknight xxx **

* * *

It was Mid-March before Kel regained the full use of her arm. After the initial rest period, it had taken Kel a few weeks to rebuild the muscle and gradually recover, both mentally and physically from the battle. 

Although spirits were high after the triumph of the escape from Sekholm, Kel thought that she could sense an undercurrent of unease. For the people of Sekholm, the threat from Maggur had become a reality and without homes, their army depleted, they were vulnerable.

Llatimor spent his days deep in conversation with Shimunght, the leader of Rokang, going over plans for a new settlement. Couriers had also arrived from Moshaus, extending hands of friendship and alliance.

Alex sometimes attended these meetings, and from the looks she occasionally caught Llatimor giving Alex, she wondered if there was something Llatimor knew that she didn't. Nevertheless, Kel knew that the men were holding their breaths and praying that Maggur would turn his attentions elsewhere.

* * *

'Block harder,' shouted Alex, his face inscrutable. 

Kel felt like retorting, 'I'm _trying,' _but she swung her sword up to meet Alex's mustering all the strength that she could. Her left shoulder ached and protested as Kel forced her sweat-soaked body through all manner of exercises.

Kel's injury had been a real wake-up call for Alex, and although the arrow had had nothing to do with Kel's swordplay, he was working her harder than ever, determined that he would never have to watch Kel's blood splattering the ground like that again.

'Alex?' called Rhonda, as she walked on to the practice court.

Alex disengaged his sword from Kel's and turned to face Rhonda. Meanwhile, Kel staggered gasping to the side of the court and gulped at her water canteen.

'We'll call it a day,' Alex called over to Kel, 'make sure you do a proper warm down,' and without further ado he left the practice court.

It took Kel a good while to stretch, warm down and trudge back to her room in a lodging house nestled behind the huge defensive fort that spread across the Rokang valley. She washed and changed into a clean set of shirt and breeches, untying her long straggly hair.

With nothing else to do, Kel lay down upon her bed and stared at the ceiling her mind full of thoughts. For the first time in days Kel thought of Neal and all of her other page friends. _Roald and Cleon would be squires now, _she thought shocked, as a pang of loneliness stabbed through her.

Not for the first time, Kel wondered what she would be doing had she been allowed to stay. One thing she was certain of; that she was certainly more skilled with a sword than any page was. Concentrating on one weapon had allowed her to hone her skills to a much higher level; she had to, for out in the field her skill was what kept her alive.

Sighing, Kel rolled over, deciding that pointless speculation was only causing her heartache. She stood up with the intention of finding Fassin -the ex-slave knew few people in Rokang and might appreciate some company, when Alex and Rhonda burst in through the door, arguing furiously.

'- I still say that we don't have enough proof to condemn-' said Rhonda before Alex cut across her;

'You know the sort of man that Wilhelm is; he's power hungry and is probably feeding out of Maggur's right hand.'

'You can't let old prejudices cloud your judgement,' argued Rhonda. 'If there is even the slightest chance that he might aid our cause then you should investigate-'

'We're stretched bare as it is Rho, a hasty appointment could bring this all crashing-'

Alex broke off, looking at Kel.

'I don't have anyone free Rho, maybe in a few months when I can transfer Jasperr from Maeslund.'

'But it will take maybe months for him to integrate himself and gather information,' pointed out Rhonda mulishly.

'_I know,' _said Alex tiredly.

'Is it something I can do?' asked Kel bluntly. She was growing tired of being cooped up in the haven of Rokang. 'I can do information gathering.'

Alex started to protest, but Rhonda overrode him.

'Are you serious?' she asked, scrutinising Kel.

It may have been Kel's imagination, but ever since fighting alongside Kel in the pass Rhonda had been less derogatory towards her.

Kel nodded.

'It'll be dangerous,' said Alex worriedly, it won't be like your other tasks, where I've been around to assist you.'

'You weren't there when Vishnaucht's house was torched,' pointed out Kel softly, 'I can take care of myself.'

'There you have it Alex, a spy, ready and willing to go. She could pose as a slave I suppose, but on the plantations they all need to be registered…'

'It's alright,' said Kel pulling up her sleeve to reveal the fading red characters burned into her flesh.'

Rhonda's eyes widened, but she said nothing, waiting for Alex to give his seal of approval.

'You volunteered without even knowing what we wanted to be done,' he said slowly.

'It sounded like it was pretty important to me, and someone has to do it.' Kel shrugged, 'Everything has risks Alex, and I'm prepared to take risks.'

'Why though?' demanded Rhonda suddenly. 'You aren't Scanran, why do you care so much?'

'Because Maggur is hurting innocent people and destroying all that they have. Besides, when he does unite Scanra there will be a war and the longer that takes, the better prepared Tortall will be. Which means that the Tortallan armies can hold back Maggur and you two can implement whatever it is that you are planning for Maggur's defeat.'

'Very well,' said Alex, 'you've got just as much right as any of us to do your bit. But it will be dangerous; you hear horrible tales of things that happen to the slaves and workers of the plantations.'

'I can survive a bit of bullying Alex,' replied Kel, her eyes shining with determination.

'If you're sure then,' said Alex his face unreadable. 'You can travel down to Gentlund with Rhonda, but I've got some things to sort out, collecting Prince for one thing.'

Kel smiled, knowing how much Alex would be missing his precious horse. She bowed once and left the room, striding down the corridor and feeling in a much better mood than she had been before. She was off again on another mission.

* * *

Warmth licked Kel's cold, chapped cheeks as their little fire burned merrily away. Fassin fed dry timber into it carefully and the flames leapt ever higher, warming the three weary travellers. 

Rhonda too was sat by the fire, seeking enough energy from it's flames to sustain her a little longer. They sat in silence, each buried in their own thoughts, concentrating little upon anything except the warmth that was flooding their veins.

After what seemed like hours Rhonda pulled her gaze from the dancing fire and stood up. Immediately Kel got up to help, as did Fassin and together they erected the tent. They were well practised by now, having been travelling for well over a week. The first couple of days had been torturous; wading through deep snow drifts and trying to navigate their way through icy mountains at sub-zero temperatures.

In the last couple of days however, they had reached some flatter ground and the worst of the weather had passed leaving wintry sunlight in it's wake. Despite the more pleasant daytime temperatures, at night it was as cold as ever and soon the three travellers would hole up for the night, sheltering from nature inside their thick canvas tent.

The plan was that Rhonda would deliver Kel to the plantation in Gentlund, where she would assume the role of one of many thousands of slaves who worked the land there. The idea was to slip around unnoticed from all of the other slaves and try to glean any information which might suggest that Maggur was in collaboration with Wilhelm –the clan chief of Gentlund. Kel could then pass that information on to a blacksmith who would regularly visit whichever plantation she was stationed on. The blacksmith would then relay anything important on to Alex.

Their other travelling companion, the quiet but amiable Fassin, had decided to accompany them as far as the borders of Gentlund, where he would veer North, catch a ship from Maeslund and return home, bearing the news of his Shang master's death.

Kel had lain awake some nights, imagining in her mind's eye following him back to Tortall and being reunited with her parents, Neal and Lucie. These fantasies never lasted more than five minutes, when she would give herself a mental shake. She was needed here; sentimental reunions would have to wait. _Besides, _she thought, _it was all very well dreaming about returning, but am I ready to face them? _

The next morning Kel was shaken awake by Fassin.

'Get up,' he hissed, as Rhonda opened a bleary eye.

'Not you, just Elinah,' whispered Fassin. Rhonda grunted and rolled over, Kel resigned herself to her fate.

Five minutes later shivering in the crisp morning air, Kel stood opposite Fassin, sword aloft.

'We'll just run through some warm up phases,' explained Fassin in Common, 'copy me.'

He lead her through several slow exercises, making a point to exaggerate and then hold the position to thoroughly stretch all of the muscles involved. They then went through some patterns at medium speed; Fassin attacking, Kel blocking.

'There is no strength behind that block,' Fassin criticised, 'you must block and defend as though you were attacking. I have seen blocks that have shattered wrists before.'

Gritting her teeth, Kel poured a whole new level of concentration and energy into the basic exercises than she had done previously.

'Better,' commented Fassin, 'now convince me you really know what you're doing. I want you to attack me and all I'm going to do is block.'

Kel began to fight –she had done these sorts of drills with Alex. It was a way to demonstrate and practises new skills but was exceedingly hard to gain the upper advantage in, because the opponent was only concentrating upon one thing.

She worked hard for over ten minutes, showing off the full range of her skill and yet never quite managing to get through Fassin's iron-hard blocks. Once or twice her sword nearly slipped past his, but only for a fraction of a second. After yet another close try on Kel's behalf Fassin stepped backwards and bowed.

'You've been taught well,' he said, looking at her through level gaze, 'you have a natural ability.'

Kel accepted the compliments with a slight twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth and waited for Fassin to finish speaking.

'I've no doubt that in a few years time you will be a formidable fighter indeed. Do you fight with anything else?' he inquired.

'I know a little staff and hand-to-hand combat,' admitted Kel warily.

'Show me,' said Fassin with a grin.

Without warning he lashed out with a punch and Kel ducked, spinning round to produce her own counter attack. He blocked her punch with such a force that Kel's whole arm went numb as she pulled away and circled him warily. Fassin moved again, like all Shang warriors he was very fast, and soon had a grip on her arm. Kel pivoted and performed the counter move instinctively, just as she had done on her first ever day of training. Fassin allowed himself to go with her move, using the momentum and then breaking away, turning and aiming a kick at her. Kel tried to doge but was a fraction of a second to slow. His padded foot crashed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending Kel reeling backwards.

Kel stumbled backwards gasping for breath and clutching her stomach, before tripping and landing on her behind on the cold, hard ground.

'Are you alright?' asked Fassin.

Kel waited for several moments until she'd regained enough air to speak.

'I'm going to have a wonderful bruise,' she replied with a sigh, still massaging the place where Fassin's foot had connected.

'It was a quite a strong kick,' said Fassin ruefully, 'but you'd countered or dodged everything else...' He held out a hand and helped Kel to her feet.

'I'm a bit out of practise,' explained Kel.

'Well that's not a good state to be in when out in the field,' Fassin said seriously. 'I can teach you a better kicks, blocks and punches if you want, but you must practise them.'

Kel nodded, feeling that over the next couple of months, hand-to-hand combat was going to be far more useful than swordplay.

As Rhonda woke up and cooked breakfast Fassin made Kel isolate her attacks and blocks, scrutinising them and telling Kel what could be improved. Rhonda handed Kel and Fassin some oatmeal as they sat down.

'Your basic punching technique is fine,' said Fassin as he shovelled food into his mouth, 'and there's no time to teach you anything fancier, the same goes for your blocks, with them you just need more power behind the movement. I will however try to teach you a better kick, as the one you know, leaves far too much of your right side open.'

True to his word, over the next few days Fassin did just that. He taught Kel a new kick that was much trickier to practise, but faster to execute. They also practised sword play for hours, Kel relishing to practise against an opponent other than Alex.

Sometimes during the day Kel and Fassin would let Rhonda go on ahead whilst they practised and then run to catch up with her. In doing this they didn't waste any travelling time and were also improving their fitness daily.

* * *

On the final night before Fassin departed for the coast, he gave her a small wooden charm of a hawk. 

'If you're ever in the Southern Desert, call upon my people and show them that, and they will provide you with shelter and food,' he said seriously as he handed it to her.

Kel thanked Fassin and placed the charm on the chain alongside her Yamani lucky cat, and tucked it back inside her shirt.

They parted with a brief hug and Kel watched the large, friendly black man disappearing into the distance, wondering if she'd ever see him again. It was unlikely, but Kel had no idea where she would be in a couple of year's time or what she would be doing. _I'll just take it one small step at a time, _she thought as she set off after Rhonda, trudging ever closer to Gentlund.

Gentlund was a clan settled on the flat, fertile plains of western Scanra. It spread across many leagues and had a huge population. Gentlund town, where the Clan Chief lived, and where all the administration was based, lay in the north-eastern area and it was there that Kel and Rhonda were headed.

When they arrived in the crudely constructed city three days later, it was with an air of foreboding that Kel observed her surroundings. As she walked up the street she saw a great line of despondent slaves all chained at the hand, following a pompous looking official.

'They'll either be headed to the market, or to one of the plantations,' whispered Rhonda, following Kel's gaze.

It sickened Kel that the slaves were transported like animals to market and how when they arrived there, their lives were sold and bought on the whims of rich men.

Rhonda led Kel up an alleyway and into a dingy lodging house. At the end of a grimy corridor, she fitted a key into a door and Kel stepped inside the tiny, box-like room.

'Are you still sure that you want to do this?' Rhonda asked seriously, her eyes boring into Kel's.

Kel nodded defiantly; she wouldn't be put off by the thought of a little hardship.

'Very well then,' replied Rhonda, 'we need to make you look more like a slave.' She examined Kel for a moment, before saying, 'well you certainly can't keep your swords with you, or that jade necklace.'

Kel silently removed her swords and necklace, before handing them to Rhonda. Rhonda moved over to the wall and prised one of the floorboards up. Beneath was a whole jumble of things and she placed Kel's swords and necklace on the top.

'If you ever have to leave suddenly for a reason, or when Alex comes to collect you, they'll be in here waiting for you.'

Kel nodded. Rhonda straightened up, marched over to Kel and without warning punched her in the side of her head. Kel reeled backwards, disorientated for a few moments. She could feel blood dripping down her face from her split eyebrow.

'What was that for?' she asked, looking up at Rhonda and probing gently at her injury with her fingers.

'We can't have you looking too pretty,' replied Rhonda, 'or else you'll be purchased as a pleasure slave. You have to look tough and used to manual work.'

Rhonda used the blade of her knife to wear down Kel's shirt at the sleeves and start a couple of tears in the material. She also rubbed some dirt from the grate onto Kel's hands and smudged the un-bloody side of her face. By the time Rhonda had finished knotting Kel's hair even more and dirtying her clothes, Kel felt as though she was finally ready to face the slave markets.

Rhonda rummaged around in her bag and bought out two objects, the first Kel placed around her neck, the familiar coolness of the slave collar bring back memories of Vischnaucht's house and the second made Kel's eyes widen in surprise. If she was not very much mistaken, it was an anti-pregnancy charm.

'Um…I don't think that I'll be…well…I'm not old enough to be laying with men…' said Kel uncomfortably, shifting slightly on her feet.

'You don't always have a choice,' replied Rhonda grimly, as she washed her own face in a cracked wash bowl.

_That's not happening to me again, _thought Kel as her trembling fingers attached the charm onto the plain cord, from which hung Fassin's token and her Yamani lucky cat.

'Let's go,' said Rhonda and without another word they left the lodging rooms.

* * *

It didn't take long for Rhonda to navigate their way through the milling crowds to the slave market. 

'Number?' demanded a voice at the entrance to the market.

Kel tugged up the sleeve of her shirt.

**L0258 **

The pink scars were still vivid upon her left arm and the man noted down the number on a tablet in front of him.

'Work?'

'Labour,' replied Rhonda promptly, and again the man wrote this new piece of information on the tablet.

'This is yours,' he said handing Rhonda a piece of parchment on which read _LO258, Afternoon lot 87. _'Present this to the accounts table this evening and you will be paid according to the price she goes for, I will remind you that we take an eight percent selling charge and the auctioneer requests a further two percent.'

As the man at the desk shuffled some papers, Rhonda gripped Kel's arm and gave it a squeeze.

'We will meet again,' she whispered in an undertone, before slipping away into the crowd.

Kel didn't look back as a burly guardsman attached a chain to her collar and led her down into a large open space. All along the far wall, slaves were chained, large black numbers above their heads. Kel realised what was happening and allowed herself to be tied underneath the number eighty-seven.

The bidding was quick; buyers quickly deciding the value of each slave present. The burly young men sold for the highest, as no doubt they would be expected to carry out the heaviest labouring.

Kel noted that her fellow slaves all stood as impassively as she did, all except for a group of three further down the line. They appeared to be a family; at least the young girl bore a resemblance the woman. The man was holding the woman's hand in a comforting manner and whispering soothingly to her.

Kel's heart went out to the family for she knew as well as they that if the family was sold to different plantations it was unlikely that they would ever see each other again.

Finally after an hour lot number eighty-seven was called.

' Lot eighty-seven, for manual labour,' called out the auctioneer.

The bidding rose until finally only one man remained.

'Sold, for a sum of five silver pieces!' announced the auctioneer.

Five silver pieces. Was that all thy considered her to be worth? Was there any human worth so little? _Maggur, _she thought savagely, _Maggur is worth so little for what he is doing to this country. _

Her anger at all of the injustices done to her and others kept her from truly noticing where she was going until she was shoved into a pen that was already occupied by five other slaves; four men and a woman. The other slaves waited in silence, no doubt worrying over their new home and master, and paid little attention to Kel.

About an hour later, just when Kel was wondering if they were going to be left there all night, the weedy man returned with just one more slave. He chained all seven of them together without speaking and led them out of the market.

* * *

**(-a/n- **As always reviews would be lovely :P Please pretty please give me some feedback! I hope this was worth the wait, ) 

Happy 1st November everyone!

**Confusedknight xxx **


	31. Plantation life

**(-a/n- **Greetings! Thanks as always for the **wonderful **reviews, I really do love everyone of your kind messages :P An exciting chapter today, so I hope you'll enjoy! Ooh...and the song that features in this chapter is called; The Impossible dream, and it's sung by Luther Vandross if you want to look it up on Youtube or something...I thought that the song was strangely appropriate for Kel's circumstances :D)

**Skyline Romance****SarahE7191****RiverSong DreamShadow****NotAfraidToLive****pinnapleonpizza****Lady Knight Keladry****JaBoyYa****mountainelements****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****littletrickstergirl****this fish flies****pretty how town****sesshylover907****ThJaFl****, kalush, ****ananasfreak47****Serilia****, Michi, ****Cede****Tearainy****Mrs. Dom Masbolle****Grace of Masbolle****Cheeseycraziness****, Me, ****Venuspixie****omateido****, too lazy to log in, mylovelyminion, ****Dragon Huntress,****Yabberli,****emerald,lady****stardust718,****UncertianDestiny,****tygerliilly,****geka0taitsume0taikaiyou****darkjewelledassassin****, Eternityfalls, ****Hasamaki****peddyviolin****Orohippus****Transfiguration****wAstxd1pRocrasTinator****, chariti, Nyx, ****SaoirseWaveglow****elfie-may****Drunken Little Monkey****SavingSaturn****Pie of Doomeh****Erytha****13.shimer.13****, hahasxybitch, ****killing u with umbrellas****youlovethisshit****Forget Me Not Blue****oirishgoddess****, Dominga, ****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****Erynfaer****Jaden Scorpio****, kgwoozle, ****hyperbookworm****BlackWidow12****, tomboy, Kathy, alexlilyros, ****Lady Sapphirea****juzblue****, Bertie Botts, ****epobbp****, bluefiretensai, CatBeto, ****seven3eight****dark03rose****Mint Tea Rose****, qoh, ****Feed The Foxes, ****Fightingrose, ****Sushiandmanga, ****truffletruffle01, ****On top of cloud 9, ****ACertainJustice ****youdontwant2no, ****liberator of captured angel...**** mirannda, ****PuddyTatt****, Molly, ****inhuman grace, ****SeriousPiper, ****Brokenflamesrebel** **& ****Krae Z. Rokke**

**Lil' Miss All dat** Happy Birthday!

**Abbs of the faeries** It's on her necklace…

**Right or Ryn** I hope your tests all went ok! Thanks for the super duper long review :D I'm not really an expert on slave plantations, but I'll muddle through the best I can :P Don't worry, you'll soon see where she gets her info from!

**fairydust000** Ooh, what instrument do you play? Yeah I'm trying to keep characters and timelines realistic, with the only change of course being that Kel is in Scanra and not training to be a page. I love the PoTS books so much too (who doesn't?!?) but even as I read them I like to imagine that somewhere undercover in Scanra Alex is working, unbeknownst to us! (This just shows how saturated my brain is with this story!) As always thanks for a lovely long review!

**Evil Bunny of Death** Nope, no marching band…just an orchestra and a swing band (playing Jazz etc.) Um…favourite song…well me and a friend played a double flute concerto with the orchestra, that was pretty cool, but immensely scary standing at the front of the orchestra! Um…what else…we sang a prettiful song called 'The Lily and the Rose,' 'To where you are' and 'Tears in heaven' – that song is so nice!

**katiebug123** Hehe! Thanks :P I'm glad to know you're still alive ;D It's really good to know that I've improved, especially since that's one of the reasons that I write. But you must take some credit as your reviews earlier on made me more aware of what could be improved and I now check everything much more carefully. (I'm also gradually going back and spell-checking the early chapters :D) Thanks for reviewing as always xx

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

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Smell and noise overwhelmed Kel as she entered the long hut to which she has been assigned. No one took any notice of her whatsoever and carried on with their tasks at hand. Kel had been told nothing. She didn't know where she would sleep, where she would work or when she was meant to work. She had simply been shoved into the overcrowded barracks.

Breathing in through her mouth to avoid the overpowering stench of unclean human, she sidled further into the room. There were two rows of bunk beds running down the length of the huge room, with at least one hundred people milling about, talking, and in some cases sleeping.

Kel set off down the gap between the beds, searching either side for somewhere to sleep. All around her were dirty, dishevelled people, all seemingly exhausted. Some seemed to be alone, whilst on other beds whole families rested, the children clinging to their parents.

Kel reached the end of the hall and came to the conclusion that there were no free beds. Confused and miserable, feeling awkward in a room full of strangers, Kel wanted nothing more than to curl up on a bed and wait for someone to acknowledge her existence.

Just as she was considering what to do next a loud bell rang from somewhere outside the building and there was a great amount of scuffling and pushing as all of the slaves rose and made their way out of the barracks. Kel hurried to follow them and tagged on the end of the large queue.

Fortunately the queue moved quickly and Kel could see people moving away clutching food, some already stuffing it into their hungry mouths. As Kel reached the line of trestle tables upon which stood tureens of stew and bread rolls, a man grabbed her shoulder.

'Token?' he inquired. Kel hesitated, unsure of what he was referring to.

'No token, no meal,' he said, roughly hauling Kel out of the queue.

Kel sensed that it would be pointless to try and persuade him to let her eat and watched dejectedly as the people in the queue behind her produced round wooden tokens and handed them to the man.

Scuffing her feet, Kel trudged back to the barracks, her stomach rumbling, feeling very alone and apprehensive about her immediate future. In truth she only had a vague idea about how slave plantations functioned, but she'd been hoping to find someone to show her the ropes. Unfortunately everyone seemed intent upon ignoring her.

Kel entered the smelly, almost deserted building and found herself a spot on the floor in the far corner of the longhouse.

* * *

Opening her eyes blearily Kel peered about. She had fallen asleep hunched in the corner. Wincing, she stretched out her cramped legs. As she truly woke up, she wondered how she could've slept at all with the noise the other slaves were making. 

Judging by the dimness of the room it was later on in the evening. Faintly Kel could here someone singing. It was a crooning soft melody that rose above the general hubbub, and gradually the talking, arguing and shouting of the slaves died down to listen to the man's voice.

As Kel listened, other voices joined in, singing in perfect harmony to what was obviously a well known song.

_To dream the impossible dream,  
To fight, the unbeatable foe,  
To bear with unbearable sorrow,  
To run where the brave dare not go._

_To right the un-rightable wrong,  
To love pure and chaste from afar,  
To try when your arms are too weary,  
To reach the unreachable star._

_This is my quest  
To follow that star,  
No matter how hopeless,  
No matter how far._

_To fight for the right,  
Without question or pause,  
To be willing to march into Hell  
For a heavenly cause._

_And I know if I'll only be true  
To this glorious quest,  
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm  
When I'm laid to my rest._

_And the world will be better for this,  
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,  
Still strove with his last ounce of courage  
To reach the unreachable star._

_Yeah and I'll always dream the impossible dream,_

_Yes and I'll reach the unreachable star_

The majority of the slaves joined in as they sung through various ballads and songs, but Kel, still sitting on the floor was preoccupied with the lyrics of the first song. _Dream the impossible dream? _Thought Kel, _is that what I did? _A resounding voice in her head told her _no! Girls can be knights. _Kel smiled inwardly, knowing that she hadn't given up on _her_ dream just yet. _That's what I'll do, _she told herself, yawning; _I'll reach the unreachable star._

Closing her eyes and shuffling down on the floor, Kel allowed the melodies to wash over her, and within minutes she was asleep.

* * *

A harsh, clanging bell quickly roused Kel from her slumbers. Back-aching from the hard wooden floor, she stood up and rubbed her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She watched surreptitiously as everyone else staggered out of bed and then followed them as they exited the slave house. 

Kel's stomach rumbled painfully and Kel hoped that she wouldn't require a token to receive her breakfast. Her fingers crossed, she joined the fast moving queue to receive a mug of water and a single slice of bread –it turned out that tokens weren't needed for breakfast.

It didn't take Kel long to finish her meagre meal and soon she was heading out into the field alongside the other slaves. She was handed a dirty metal instrument and a bucket. Copying the boy next to her, she began to drive it into the soil, overturning the damp earth. She repeated this action a couple of times, unsure of what she was meant to be achieving.

'You're new?' asked the boy next to her, his voice thick with an untraceable accent. Kel nodded.

'All we are doing today is turning soil,' he demonstrated the technique, his small, blistered hands clutching the same tool as Kel. 'You must break up lumps and remove rocks,' he instructed throwing a couple of small stones into the bucket by his side.

Abruptly he bent over and began to turn soil as though nothing had happened. Kel stood there for a few moments, utterly bewildered then –thwack! Something solid connected with the small of her back and Kel, completely surprised, was tossed forward into the dirt. She rolled over to see a large man, dressed in black clutching at a thick coiled whip.

'You work,' he said menacingly, pronouncing the words slowly as though he thought Kel to be stupid.

Kel scrambled to her feet and retrieved her tools, hastily beginning to work. The man moved away, striking at others who were apparently "being lazy".

It was back-breaking work, and after an hour Kel's hands were red and sore, blisters already forming from the rough wooden handle of the tool. She desperately wanted to stand up and stretch but the slave masters were constantly prowling up and down the field, punishing anyone who took a break.

Kel shuffled a bit further down the field and kneeling in the soft, slightly squelchy soil, she began to pick rocks out of the earth and toss them into her bucket. When the bucket was full, Kel stood up and groaning at her protesting back she made her way across the large field to empty the rocks unceremoniously onto the ever-growing pile.

To take her mind off of her aching back, arms and hands, Kel glanced around the field as she worked. It was perfectly flat and exactly square in dimensions. About thirty or so slaves worked the massive area but Kel could see many other fields stretching in all directions, each with their own task force of dishevelled workers.

By lunchtime, Kel had been hit three more times by the slave master and after she collected her pitiful lunch -another thin slice of bread and a mug of warm water, she flopped down on the ground, conscious of every strained muscle, every bruise on her back and every blister on her hand.

'It gets better after a week or so,' said the boy who had helped Kel earlier that morning. 'Your hands will get tougher and your back will get used to the strain.'

For the rest of their lunch break, the boy didn't say another word and Kel didn't press him, content to occupy herself with her own thoughts.

The rest of the afternoon was torture for Kel. Her hands began to bleed and the dirt stung at the open wounds. Kel was sweating with exertion, and her shirt was disgusting; fouled by dirt, blood and sweat. When the bell finally rung to signal the end of the day, it took a while for Kel to get up, but eventually she managed to stretch out her sore joints, exchange her work tools for a token and join the other slaves for the trudge back to the slave barracks.

Kel reached the entrance to the barracks, where she was greeted by a cacophony of noise. Deciding that she couldn't face all the people crowded together, Kel decided to seek a quieter place in which to nurse her wounds.

Around the back of the slave houses was a small wood. She made her way through the trees until she could no longer see the ugly rectangular buildings. Kel presumed that as the slaves weren't kept on a tight leash their slave collars must be spelled to not let them out of the plantation's boundaries.

Kel lay on her stomach, her head turned to the side so that her cheek lay on the cool ground and tried not to think about repeating the whole process again tomorrow. How she was ever going to have enough energy to spy for Alex she didn't know, but instead of stewing over these dismal thoughts Kel pushed all of her problems out of her mind and listened vaguely to the swishing noises of the leaves above her.

From far away, Kel heard the dinner bell ring. She stood up and slowly made her way back through the trees. Joining the queue, and this time handing over her token, Kel was handed a stew and yet another piece of bread.

It took less than five minutes for Kel to finish her supper. Deciding that she couldn't face returning inside just yet, she made her way around to the back of the slave building and sat down to enjoy the last few rays of sunshine. Kel had been sitting there, wondering gloomily about how long she'd have to stay on the plantation, when a shadow fell across her vision.

She looked up and saw a man leering down at her.

'Lonely are we?' he said, displaying a set of black, rotting teeth.

Kel scrambled up and made to run away, but the man caught her arm and slammed her back against the wood of the slave house. Kel's vision blurred with pain as her bruised and aching back hit the hard surface. She struggled fruitlessly for a few seconds and then went limp, desperately trying to formulate a plan of escape.

'Pretty young thing aren't you-'

'Get off of her,' said a commanding voice from somewhere behind the man.

Kel looked up, and craning her neck she saw a teenage boy with black, messy hair step forward.

'We're just having some fun,' whined the man.

'Tough luck, leave now or things'll get nasty,' the youth ordered.

The podgy man released Kel, not wanting a fight, and she sank to the ground, trembling. The black-haired boy knelt down beside her.

'Are you okay?' he asked in a concerned voice.

Kel nodded, and taking a shaky breath said;

'Thanks for that.'

A rough but gentle hand lifted her chin up, forcing Kel to look him at him. Hazel eyes met bright blue ones and for a moment they stared at each other. The boy then stood up and offering Kel his hand, pulled her to her feet.

Kel winced as his hand tugged on her sore hand. The boy turned her hand over until her bloodstained palm faced the sky.

'You're new,' he stated with some surprise in his voice.

'How did you know?' asked Kel curiously.

'You're hands are bleeding,' he replied, 'everyone's hands bleed at the beginning. When did you arrive?' he said, not letting go of her hand.

'Last night,' said Kel, her voice cracking and to her horror she found tears were trickling down her dirty cheeks.

'Shh,' soothed the boy, drawing Kel into a hug and rubbing her shoulders in a soothing gesture. Kel allowed herself a few moments of weakness, before straightening up. The black-haired boy wiped the last stray tears away with his coarse thumbs.

'Come on,' he said, 'let's go get you cleaned up a bit. Then I'll show you around.'

Relieved to at last have found someone who was willing to help her, Kel followed him through the trees.

'What's your name?' she asked.

'Idan,' he said grinning.

'Elianne,' replied Kel, combining her previous aliases, 'but call me Eli,' she said returning Idan's contagious grin.

A few moments later they arrived at a shallow, but fast-flowing stream.

'This is where you come to wash,' Idan informed Kel.

Kel stepped down into the icy water and her feet became numb almost instantly. She knelt down and splashed some water onto her face, washed her hands and teased some of the knots out of her hair. Kel didn't bother to try and wash her feet; they would just get dirty again as Kel had no shoes.

'That's better,' said Kel, as she stepped out of the water. Idan, who had sat watching her all of the while, jumped up.

'I imagine you're tired, so I'll make my tour a quick one…' And so they set off for a walk around the immediate area, Idan explaining the daily routine.

* * *

'…the tokens are so that only people who work will be fed.' Idan told Kel, as they neared one of the slave houses. 

'But what if someone's unable to work, say because they're ill?' asked Kel.

'Then they'd better hope they have good friends who will share food with them,' said Idan sadly. 'That's why we get so many new slaves…to replace those who've died.'

Kel's insides froze with horror. How could human life be counted as something so worthless?

'Come on,' muttered Idan, it's getting late and he led her inside one of the other slave barracks.

'I'm meant to be in the other one,' said Kel.

'Oh no one worries about that,' replied Idan, 'it's not as though they keep tabs on us anyway. In summer it's nice to sleep outside, but at the moment it's far too cold.'

'Are there free beds in here?' enquired Kel.

'There aren't free beds available anywhere,' said Idan, steering Kel to the left and gesturing that she sit on what was undoubtedly his own bed.

'We should start the singing soon,' said Idan, settling back against the wall.

'Why does everyone sing?' asked Kel.

Idan gave her a strange look,

'Where have you been working?'

'In a house as a kitchen assistant,' answered Kel, -it was a half truth anyway.

'So how did you end up on a plantation?' Idan asked. Kel shrugged.

'There was a fire in the house, the Master was killed and I found myself back at the market.'

Just then a voice began to sing and all around Kel the occupants of the beds began to join in.

'Have a go,' urged Idan, 'everyone joins in, it's our way of saying that we haven't given up hope and that one day we'll be free.'

Kel began to sing cautiously, murmuring the words under her breath. As the evening drew on, so did the intensity of the songs. The slaves seemed to pour whatever remaining energy they had into their voice, singing for love and for hope of a better tomorrow. Kel frequently found that she didn't know the words, but lost among the passionate voices of the other slaves it didn't seem to matter if she hummed instead. All that mattered was that they keep the music going.

Kel lost herself in the enchanting melodies. This was music as she'd never encountered it before. It wasn't just simple songs without meaning like the ones sung at the Convent, every line of words seemed to have individual meanings, ones that Kel realised you couldn't appreciate until you actually lived the life of a slave.

Eventually the last song ended and no new ones began; everyone seemed to recognise that it was time for bed. Kel made to get up, but Idan's hand pushed her gently back down.

'Stay here,' he whispered.

'But…' protested Kel.

'Who's going to care?' asked Idan. 'Anyway it's not as though we're going to do anything inappropriate. And surely you don't _want _to sleep on the floor?'

'Well I don't know…' teased Kel, lying back on the straw mattress, and allowing Idan to pull the blanket over both of them.

* * *

When Kel awoke, she was warm and comfortable. It was a few seconds before she realised that someone's arm was draped over her midriff. She nearly sat up in shock, before realising that it was only Idan. Strangely, despite having only known him for a short amount of time, she didn't mind the close contact. He reminded her of someone, but she couldn't place a finger upon whom it was. 

'Morning,' Idan whispered, his breath hot upon her neck. Kel rolled over and found herself face to face with a grinning Idan.

'How're your hands this morning?' he asked.

Kel showed him her blistered hands; the sores had formed scabs overnight. He sat up in bed and tore two strips off of the side of the large blanket which covered them both. Sitting cross-legged facing her, Idan took her hands, and with surprising care bandaged them.

'That should stop the worst of the rubbing,' he told her.

'Thanks,' Kel whispered, unsure of what to say.

Just then, the bell clanged loudly and broke the awkward silence.

'Lets go and get some food,' said Idan getting up and busying himself with folding the blanket.

After the small breakfast they were permitted, they set off down to the field together and when handed their tools, they began to work on the same patch. It didn't take long for the scabs on Kel's hands to crack and for blood to begin to ooze through the makeshift bandage. She suffered in silence, trying to concentrate upon anything other than the pain.

'So where are you originally from?' asked Idan.

'A place a _long_ way from here,' replied Kel, thinking for a moment of Mindelan's picturesque castle and lands. 'What about you?' she asked, eager to divert the conversation from her painful past.

'Don't know,' shrugged Idan, 'been a slave for as long as I can remember, passed between places. Can't even remember my parents, though they were probably slaves as well.'

'Why do people have children, when they know that their children will be born into slavery?' asked Kel.

'You've gotta remember that most of us will be slaves until we die,' said Idan with a shrug, 'we've all got to make the best of our circumstances. Besides most places will reward women who bear lots of children. I think once they've had a fourth child that survives beyond infancy they're promoted to working in the houses of the plantation, so they get to stop doing manual labour.'

Kel was filled with a new-found respect for the people that were labouring alongside her. She couldn't comprehend what life must be like for them knowing that they would never be free. Glancing sideways at Idan she wondered if she could persuade Alex to buy him and set him free.

Idan looked up and Kel quickly returned her gaze to the brown soil, feeling slightly flustered.

Lunchtime came and went and by mid-afternoon Kel's stamina was failing her. She couldn't even pick up her tool without intense pain in her hands, and her back and neck ached. Her pace slowed and she struggled to overturn the soil.

'Quick,' hissed Idan, and in one quick movement he swapped his almost-full bucket with Kel's mostly empty one.

'Slacking will not be tolerated,' boomed a voice above Kel and she looked round in time to see Idan pitching forward into the dirt. 'Get up,' roared the slave master and as Idan climbed back to his feet, a lash of the thick whip sent him flying forward. Kel looked on, utterly helpless. If she tried to intervene, she would make the situation worse and possibly blow her cover as a meek slave-girl.

Ten whip lashes and a kick to the stomach later; the masters grew bored of tormenting Idan and wandered off down the field. Kel crawled over to where Idan lay panting and helped him up.

'You shouldn't have done that,' she whispered, her eyes watery.

'Well I did and I don't regret it,' replied Idan. 'You're exhausted and with your hands in that state there's no way that you can be expected to work.'

Several long hours later they helped each other to hobble down to the stream. Idan stripped off his shirt and washed the blood off of his back, whilst Kel bathed her throbbing, stinging hands.

'It'll get better in a week or so,' said Idan, as he waded over to where Kel was patting her hands dry on her skirt. 'Once you're hands have toughened up, it's not so bad.'

He pulled Kel to her feet and for a moment they were dizzyingly close, looking straight into each other's eyes…and then his soft lips were on hers, and Kel forgot all else. She wrapped her arms around Idan's neck and kissed him back, revelling in the intimacy and the feeling that she wasn't completely alone in the depths of Scanra.

* * *

**(-a/n- **So you likey? This story is now delving into new territory as Kel encounters her first romance :P Thanks for being patient with the update, I've been writing this one page at a time to fit it around hockey matches, flute practise and heaps of homework. Still, as always reviews will be dearly loved…) 

The exhausted, but happy, **Confusedknight xxx**


	32. A rainy day

**(-a/n- **Hi everyone! I can't believe I'm on chapter 32 already, though on the other hand I can't believe that it's been just over a **year** since I started this fic. And to think that I was naïve enough to think that I could finish it in a couple of months! But here we are, a year later. This story has escalated beyond my **wildest imaginings** and I want to thank all reviewers, especially those who've been with me from the start :P Love to all of you guys, who've made all of the many, many hours sat at this computer worth it. :P

I've only got a couple of other things to say, a) sorry for the late update, I've been working at this chapter for over a week but school has been crazy…I've over 27 hours of exam papers to complete :S –sighs- And I've just been so exhausted that I've been unable to write anything at all. However today school finished (Yay!) at lunchtime, so I've slept all afternoon and am now feeling a whole lot better :D

Secondly, I've been working at spell and grammar checking the first lot of chapters because my writing has improved so much. This means for all new readers or people re-reading some chapters, it'll be much better :D

So now that it's the holidays, hopefully I'll be able to do a couple of quick updates :D But we'll see… :D

Thanks to the reviewers; (You broke a record last chapter!)

**WomanWarrior, ****qtktkat****SeriousPiper****SarahE7191****Cede****Macko****mountainelements****pinnapleonpizza****InkblotTheDarking****Pie of Doomeh****Scarlet Ice Cascading****emerald lady****, Aerin, ****brezzybrez****Transfiguration****doms celestial artemis****this fish flies****JaBoyYa****, Tensko1234, ****Grace of Masbolle****Evil Bunny of Death****darkjewelledassassin****onyx-jade potter****Brokenflamesrebel****Skyline Romance****Golden23****katieoso****lady kight jacky cullen****, shadowluck231, ****epobbp****Yabberli****, Eternityfalls, ****inhuman grace****Hasamaki****Lady Zarobiti****, Me, ****stardust718****On top of cloud 9****, litedreams, ****dashboardlver****after.a.hard.day****Erynfaer****oldman543****Drunken Little Monkey****, Nyleva, ****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****killing u with umbrellas****yashamew****Lady Muck****Forget Me Not Blue****Stoned Lorikeet****Mrs. Dom Masbolle****SavingSaturn****NotAfraidToLive****, Chiz, ****peddyviolin****Rycr****NorikuKitsune****geka0taitsume0taikaiyou****wAstxd1sYmPhOny****brighid's flame****Jaden Scorpio****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****13.shimer.13****the. dead. addict.****Venuspixie****SaoirseWaveglow****rootless californian****Dragon Huntress****jesi ki kage****The Sherberty Lemon****Abbs of the faeries****Cheeseycraziness****elfie-may****Lady Knight Keladry****Erytha****, Jassa, ****ACertainJustice****oirishgoddess****Book Thief****, internal failure, ****sesshylover907****Night-Player****PuddyTatt****BlackWidow12****soupcan****Lil' Miss All dat****Eclipsa****IkarusCazadores****Aly the Spy****youdontwant2no****ScrewyLouie12****, clurr, ****katiebug123****ShadowHunterLoki****fabricsoftener22****seven3eight****kittylitious****sesshylover907****fairydust000****Dom-Basher CHAMPION****Sandrilene Laterne****, Google It!, ****Mystic Moon Empress****Coaran**** & elf warrior princess.**

**truffletruffle01**Field hockey :D but it's on Astroturf which is faster!

Thanks as always, you've really no idea how much I enjoy reading your reviews!

**Confusedknight xxx**

**Disclaimer (I thought I'd better put one in.) : **Anything you recognise e.g. Kel, Neal the Palace etc. belongs to Tamora Pierce. Idan and Alex belong to meeeeeeeeee!! Hehehe –manic giggling-! (I've just eaten a rather sugary pear and sugar is flooding into my system :D )

* * *

'_There is no better spy than a slave. No one notices them. They may go anywhere, look into anything, if they are careful. They can ask questions that would be suspicious coming from others, because everyone believes a slave is stupid, even when given evidence he is not.'_

_-From a letter to Alianne of Pirate's swoop, from Sir Myles of Olau._

Eventually Kel pulled away from Idan and drawing a shuddering breath, she laid her head on his bare shoulder. Warm, slightly damp arms enfolded her and they remained like that for a long time, Idan resting his chin on Kel's head.

It was only when the dinner bell rang that they finally broke apart and without saying anything made their way back through the trees. Kel's mind was in turmoil; everything was happening so fast. Somewhere deep within her she knew that Alex wouldn't approve of her becoming involved with a slave boy, but she didn't think that she could face the next couple of months alone.

Idan slipped his tough, calloused hand into her small, damaged one and squeezed gently. Internally a decision was made; in this godsforsaken place she was going to need all of the support she could get.

After supper, Kel, still hungry, returned to the barracks with Idan and joined in the evening song with as much strength as she could muster, before flopping back next to Idan and falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Whoever told Kel that the second day was the worst, was a liar. So was the person who said that the third day was the worst. In truth Kel's condition declined so much throughout the week, that by the sixth day, she couldn't do so much as stand up properly. Knowing that she would get beaten if she attempted to work, Kel remained behind, whilst Idan went out work. She slept almost the entire day sleeping, and though she was still stiff and sore when she woke up, she could at least move.

After two weeks Kel's hands had developed enough callous to protect them from the vigours of physical labour. Her back muscles had also become accustomed to the work and with Idan at her side, Kel settled into a regular routine on the Plantation.

It was only then that Kel could even begin to think about spying. When she left the field one day, she washed herself as she normally did and slipping away from Idan, she snuck around the back of the slave barracks and proceeded to explore.

She followed a track to another set of slave barracks and had a nose about, finding nothing except more dishevelled people immersed in their own misery. Annoyed, Kel moved on. Across the courtyard, where some older slaves were busy setting up the dinner, Kel saw a guard leaving a somewhat smaller building. At a slow, ambling pace, Kel crossed the yard and sat down, leaning her back up against the wall, pretending to examine her dirt-encrusted foot.

From her position near the door, if she listened carefully she could discern the conversations of the guards within. After fifteen minutes or so of listening to the guard's idle chatter, Kel returned back to her own slave barracks, pondering the difficulty of the task she had been set.

The next morning it rained, cold droplets pouring down from the iron-grey sky. The ground underneath the slaves' feet was soft and muddy as they splashed their way down to the fields and by the time Kel had collected her tools for the day's work ahead, she was already soaked to her skin. The mud that surrounded her ankles was cold, and already she had begun to shiver.

The slave masters, no doubt in a bad mood because of the weather, were driving the slaves harder than ever. Dropping to her knees Kel began to tend to the muddy bog in front of her, clearing the weeds from the fresh shoots. Every time her bucket was full, she had to slip and slide her way along to the corner of the field, where all of the waste was being dumped. Once or twice she fell over, but Kel was already so cold and wet that she didn't really care.

Idan, who was working nearest to her, seemed un-bothered by the weather. He worked rhythmically, occasionally smiling at Kel when he caught her eye.

When they stopped for lunch, every slave was handed a soggy roll, that seemed to disintegrate before their very eyes. Nevertheless they all swallowed it down, Kel tasting the mud that had been transferred from her fingers.

Closing her eyes, Kel lifted her head up to the rain, allowing it's hard droplets to beat against her face. She opened her mouth and let the cold droplets fall onto her tongue as well, letting the harsh, slightly strange-tasting water slide down her throat.

A pair of muddy arms enveloped her from behind and a pair of lips kissed the side of her temple. She relaxed back into Idan's arms, revelling in the heat that his body emanated.

'Keep going,' he whispered encouragingly in her ear. 'It's not that bad, just a little bit of rain that's all.'

Kel smiled weakly, not bothering to argue. Idan kissed her again on the top of her head, before releasing her and walking over to retrieve his tools.

As Kel followed him, she thought of how she enjoyed Idan's attentions; how when he enclosed her in his muscled arms she felt momentarily safe, as though nothing of her past, present of future could possibly harm her. They hadn't kissed properly since that first time, but Kel was prepared to let their relationship unfurl slowly as she gradually learned to trust Idan.

Kel reflected that the relationship was more difficult on her, as she was the one keeping huge secrets, ones which Idan would never know about. In fact, everything that Idan knew about her, from the name 'Elianne' to her life's history was false. Sometimes Kel would stop and think about how much she hid from him and also from Alex, but it made Kel feel uncomfortable, so she tried not to dwell upon the issue.

She returned to pulling up weeds, her ever-lasting determination filling her body with new energy reserves to battle off the mind-numbing cold. Vaguely the noise of people singing filtered in through her clouded thoughts. Looking around, Kel discovered that the slaves had begun to sing.

It wasn't the passion-filled, hope-fuelled melodies of the evening songs but more of a determined mantra, to keep their mind off of the physical pain that they were enduring. Kel listened, letting the song's rhythm determine the pace at which she worked. After a couple of rounds, the repetitive words were repeated and Kel caught on, joining in along with Idan, whose smooth tenor voice, complimented her descant.

With her mind on other things, time seemed to pass quicker and much sooner than Kel had expected, all of the slaves were stumbling and slipping their way back to the slave barracks.

Kel and Idan rinsed the mud off of their clothes and for once the icy temperature's of the stream didn't bother Kel; her hands were already far too numb to care.

When they returned to the barracks after dinner, soaking wet, they found that a heavy atmosphere had settled. Near the far end a heavily pregnant woman lay on her back groaning and whimpering, surrounded by couple of others who were all muttering encouragement to her.

Idan averted his eyes and made his way over to their bed, but Kel stopped, a troubled expression on her face. Idan beckoned her over and she obeyed reluctantly, her eyes full of anxiety.

'Where is the healer?' she asked as she sat down cross-legged on the bed.

'Healer?' snorted Idan bitterly. 'As if they'd pay for a healer's fees. It would probably be more expensive than she cost in the first place.'

Kel gaped at him, horrified.

'You know El, sometimes you really don't act like a slave,' commented Idan.

'But there must be _someone _who had a healing gift,' persisted Kel.

'If they did, then they wouldn't be in this hellhole,' he replied.

Kel remained silent for several minutes, looking around the room and observing the reactions of her fellow slaves. To her, it seemed like the only people that were remotely bothered about the poor young woman were the three people sitting by her bed. In fact, she would go as far as to say that everyone else was positively ignoring her.

'Why don't they care?' asked Kel softly in a confused voice, 'that woman might die and no one seems worried by it. How can they just act as though nothing is wrong?'

'Look,' said Idan, 'it's different for you; you haven't always been working on the plantations.'

'Why should that make any difference?' demanded Kel.

'_Because…_after a while…' Idan seemed to struggle to find the right words, but Kel wasn't going to back down. 'Look, this slave plantation, just one, has over two thousand slaves. They have to buy about seven slaves _every week_ just to replace those who've died. You'll also never know when you might be sold on. The more people you let become close to you, the more you'll suffer when they die or you get separated. Sure, we sing together at night, but I don't know half of the people who live in this barracks. You just won't be able to cope if you know everyone personally.'

'You know me personally,' pointed out Kel, hurt splashed across her face like the mud had been earlier.

'I know,' sighed Idan, 'and I'm so glad I do, but you and I know that we won't always be together.'

'I understand,' said Kel slowly, 'but the way I see it, if everyone had a little more care for the people around them, then half of life's problems would be solved. And if this is all the life we're going to get, then we may as well live it and pay the consequences later.'

Kel slipped off of the bed and trotted over to the crying woman. The woman's husband and two other women looked up at her in surprise.

'How're you doing?' Kel asked concernedly.

'Who're you?' asked one of the women suspiciously.

'Elianne,' replied Kel, lying fluently. 'Do you need anything?'

'You can go away-' started up the husband, but the woman lying on the bed placed a calming hand upon his arm.

'Could you get me a drink?' she asked.

Kel nodded and scurried away into the darkness, returning with a rough-hewn mug full of water. She had found it discarded in the courtyard; obviously someone had missed it when clearing up from dinner. She offered it to the woman without a word.

They all sat in tense silence for several minutes, listening to the hubbub all around them. Then one of the women who sat next to the pregnant lady, got up and drew Kel aside.

'Do you know _anything _about birthing?' she asked desperately.

Kel shook her head sadly; she had never actually witnessed someone giving birth before. But then she remembered the tales of births that Fanche, the local healer, used to tell her family over the dinner table each evening.

'I think maybe she should do some exercise, walk around or something…' suggested Kel, 'It might help…'

The other lady nodded and together they helped the distressed lady up. She cried out in pain, and a fresh wave of tears dribbled down her face.

'Come on,' encouraged Kel, and slowly, they made their way outside to the fresh damp air. Now that it had stopped raining, the soil had a lovely earthen smell about it, and Kel inhaled deeply. They walked the woman twice around the courtyard before taking her back inside.

When they returned, Kel found Idan deep in conversation with the lady's husband. As they helped the woman back down onto the bed, Idan looked up and Kel smiled at him, a smile full of forgiveness and gratitude.

For the rest of the evening, Kel tried to distract the woman from her pain by telling her stories. She recounted the adventures of Alanna the Lioness and by the time she finished describing how Alanna had finally triumphed over Duke Roger, a small audience had gathered.

'I think it's coming,' said one of the women excitedly and the expectant mother let out a shriek of pain.

'That's it, come on,' encouraged the husband, who was gripping his wife's hand as though it was a lifeline.

With a final scream of pain, a dark, fluid-covered infant slid out onto the bed. It didn't move and lay there, still and silent. Nobody said anything, but one of the women attempted to revive the child.

After several tense minutes they gave up. Kel and Idan slipped away, leaving the couple to deal with their grief. Tears welled in Kel's eyes too, for the sheer harshness of the situation. That poor mother had carried the baby for 9 months and endured agonising birth all for nothing.

They got into bed and Kel snuggled up to Idan, burying her face in the pillow, trying to block out everything.

Idan rubbed her back soothingly, murmuring softly to her.

'It happens a lot,' he whispered, 'but at least she still has her life, which is something to be thankful for.'

Kel sniffed and nodded, offering a quick prayer to the Goddess for the dead baby's soul.

'You did a good thing today,' said Idan, rolling Kel over to face him.

'_We_ did a good thing,' corrected Kel and she leaned forward, gently pressing her lips to his.

The broke apart a couple of moments later, when the singing began. The sat up in bed, Kel tucked under Idan's arm and sang together. When it was over, silence descended as everyone settled down to sleep.

'Sweet dreams,' whispered Idan.

Dreams…dreams…the word echoed around Kel's head until she whispered;

'Idan, you know earlier I recounted the tale of the Lady Knight?'

'Mh' grunted Idan.

'Do you think that a woman should be a knight?' Kel held her breath as she waited for his answer.

'If women are allowed to be made to work out here, in all weathers until they haven't enough strength to even bear their own child, then they should be allowed to do anything,' he replied.

* * *

The next morning Kel set off to work with all the others. She worked consistantly, the lack of rain had improved her mood and when she returned to the barracks that afternoon, she felt tired, but not the bone-weary exhaustion that had plagued her before.

However as she was about to enter the barracks, two guardsmen were carrying out a body wrapped in a sheet. With a sense of foreboding Kel entered the barracks. Just inside the door, stood the husband whom Idan had been comforting the previous evening. He stood there with a blank expression on his face. Vaguely recognising Kel through his shock, he stuttered;

'She hung herself…she…hung…herself…' and then his knees gave way as he was overcome with despair.

Idan and Kel helped the man over to his bed, where two women waited, tears also pouring down their cheeks.

They left the friends to their grief and returned to their own space.

'She must've just given up the desire to live,' said Idan sadly, scrutinising Kel closely. 'Are you alright?'

'Yes,' said Kel slowly, 'I think I'll go and get some air.'

'Do you want me to come with you?' he asked.

Kel shook her head and made her way into the wood. She began to run, pounding through the trees until she came to rest in a small clearing, breathing hard. She cast her eyes around the forest floor until she spotted a decent sized branch. Kel snapped off all of it's twigs until she had a crude imitation of a sword clasped in her hand.

She began to swing the "sword" around, reawakening muscles that hadn't been used for nearly a month. Kel drilled herself relentlessly channelling her anger into physical energy. By the time it began to grown dark, she was well and truly exhausted. Leaving the branch on the ground and feeling slightly better she trudged back to the barracks.

* * *

Neal raked his hand through his hair absent-mindedly. He was trying to finish the difficult calculations that one of the Mithran priest's had set when a small bird landed upon his desk. Neal looked up in surprise; the sparrows hardly ever visited him anymore despite the fact that he still left seed out for them every morning.

The sparrow hopped up and down agitatedly across Neal's mathematics work. With a sigh, Neal got up and pushed the window open even wider than it had been.

'The exit's over here,' he called, as the sparrow chattered angrily, flying over to the door to his room. Neal opened the door and the sparrow zoomed out into the corridor. Neal poked his head out into the hall, trying to spot where the bird had gone. He was about to return to his work when he heard a muffled cry. Pulling the door shut behind him, he ran up the corridor in the direction that the noise had come from.

There was a draft; someone had left the door that led to the courtyard open. Neal crossed over to shut the door and as he drew nearer, the sound of angry sparrow chatter filled his ears. He stepped out into the courtyard to find Vinson grappling with a short, terrified looking girl.

'Unhand that girl at once,' commanded Neal, anger coursing through him. The sparrows, their job done, flew away into the evening sky.

Vinson turned to look at Neal, still holding the maid. He had several gouges down his cheeks, no doubt made by the maid's fingernails.

Seeing clearly for the first time who it was, Vinson let go of the maid.

'How dare you?' asked Neal furiously, 'how dare you touch an unwilling woman?'

'You're wrong,' Vinson said, licking his lips nervously. 'The wench has been eyeing me for weeks. They all do it –bed men for money. You should know Queenscove, after all how much did you pay Mindelan? Or was it just an arrangement you-'

Vinson didn't even finish his sentence before Neal punched him in the face. He reeled backwards, letting go of the maid to clutch at his broken nose, which was pouring blood.

'Don't let me ever, catch you assaulting a woman again,' said Neal in a voice that was deadly calm. 'And if you ever insult Kel like that again, then I'll take it up with you on the practise courts.'

Vinson scuttled away, not daring to threaten Neal, whose family were extremely influential at court.

'Coward,' Neal spat after him. He then turned to the maid who was crying in the corner. 'Are you alright? Did he hurt you in any way?' Neal asked concernedly.

'Only bruises sir, but he would've started hitting sooner or later –they all do.' Neal stared, appalled. The maid turned her face away. 'My dad, my brothers all hit their women.'

'We should report this,' said Neal.

'No please don't sir, he can make things difficult for me and my uncle sir. He has power; if he speaks to people he can put us out of work sir.'

'Show me your bruises,' instructed Neal.

Cautiously the maid rolled up her sleeves. Neal touched a long finger to the red marks there, which faded rapidly as a green spark leapt onto her skin.

'Thank you sir,' said the maid earnestly.

'I'm not a knight yet,' smiled Neal.

'Oh but you will be sir, you will, you'll be a much better knight than _him,' _she gestured towards the door through which Vinson had fled.

Neal acknowledged the compliment.

'I'd best get back to the maid's quarters,' she said, curtsying politely. 'Thank you sir, once again.'

Neal smiled. As the girl walked up the corridor he shouted.

'What's your name?'

'Lalasa, sir,' she replied before disappearing around a corner.

As Neal walked slowly back to his rooms, he bumped into Cleon.

'I just went to your room to say goodbye,' said the tall, red-headed Squire, 'but you weren't there.'

'No sorry,' replied Neal, 'I just went to get some fresh air…So you're leaving again?'

Cleon nodded.

'We've been called back to the Northern border. If you ask me, they're expecting trouble up their sooner or later. Still,' he smiled broadly, 'a group of barbarians isn't much of a threat to the King's army.'

He clapped Neal on the back and turned to go. Neal didn't know why he did it, but he felt that he just _had _to ask.

'No news of Kel?' he asked desperately.

Cleon shook his head, his cheerful expression gone.

'I think everyone's beginning to accept that she's either dead or not coming back.'

Neal shook his head mulishly.

'Neal,' sighed Cleon, 'she's a twelve-year-old girl. Where in Tortall would she go even if she had survived and why hasn't she returned to her family?' he shook his head sadly at Neal and walked away.

'She's not any twelve-year-old girl,' Neal muttered to himself, under his breath. 'She's Kel.'

* * *

**(-a/n- **I hope you liked it :D I felt that I just had to include some of Neal, especially since so many of you requested it. It's quite difficult, because I have to find some reason to include him, not just him moping after Kel. But when I skimmed through the book to see what the pages were doing in the spring of their third year, it involved the whole 'Vinson-Lalasa' incident and I really wanted to write Lalasa into the story…so there you have it.)

Anyway, as always reviews will be LOVED :p

**Happy Christmas ;D **

**Confusedknight xxx**

(Man…I just realised that it's two years since I was writing Much Ado about Shorts…-sighs- how time flies!)


	33. Frustration

**(-a/n- **Yay an update! It's a Christmas present for all of you people out there who celebrate. For those who don't, it can be a Midwinter gift, although I'm not entirely sure when Midwinter is…Anyhow, I'll stop waffling. This is the second of what I hope will be five updates (or at least that is my aim) of the Christmas holidays. It would be more, but I have exams to revise for…:S )

Thanks for all of the awesome reviews :D

**SarahE7191****geka0taitsume0taikaiyou****Brokenflamesrebel****mountainelements****NotAfraidToLive****Skyline Romance****Cheeseycraziness****SeriousPiper****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****Grace of Masbolle****pinnapleonpizza****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****killing u with umbrellas****Kage Kitsun****, Jasmin Elliot, ****LadyKnightSusan****IkarusCazadores****SavingSaturn****Venuspixie****Faia Sakura****emerald lady****Transfiguration****violingrl07****Dom-Basher CHAMPION****soupcan****epobbp****truffletruffle01****lady kight jacky cullen****Yabberli****Erynfaer****Forget Me Not Blue****, Kelly, ****Stoned Lorikeet****Hasamaki****13.shimer.13****jesi ki kage****Erytha****, Hunchbook, ****Jaden Scorpio****Aly the Spy****Mint Tea Rose****On top of cloud 9****Guitar-Blonde-Is-A-Baka****Drunken Little Monkey****sky7228****Evil Bunny of Death****, tomboy, MysticMoonEmpress, Google it!, ankhsenamun256, ****stardust718****stoictimer****Sandrilene Laterne****amitai****Night-Player****untamedspiral****Lady Sapphirea****Pie of Doomeh****Lil' Miss All dat****Anzy****mandywong94****, Me, blackwidow12, ****Lady Knight Keladry****Uncertian Destiny****erin-walker****elfie-may****brezzybrez****Magickless Sorceress****SaoirseWaveglow****katiebug123****Pepper Lemon****Elavie****, clurr, ****princessofcrown101****DOKIDOKIpanic****Kyubbi-Sama****, puddytatt, ****ThJaFl**** & ****Lady Mage**

**Cede** How's the drawing coming along?

**Right or Ryn**Hmmm.. on average about 2200 hits a chapter and about 78700 hits overall :D

**Sunkissed Guacamole** How're your teeth? (Or lack of them!) hehehe I know it is rather long now! You should get back into writing :D It's very therapeutic sometimes :D Anyway hopefully I'll talk to ya soon x

**oirishgoddess** Yeah, my favourite is Kel/Dom too, I wish TP would write a follow up to PoTS :D (with that pairing :P)

**Aly** We should make a club: The student/athlete/worker/sleep-deprived individual protection society! SAWSDIPS for short! Lol :P

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

As the days lengthened and summer truly began to rear it's head, Kel's work changed and she was assigned to a group responsible for clearing the irrigation ditches. It was early June and little rain had fallen over the previous few weeks, leaving the top layer of soil dry and dusty.

According to Idan, the plantations, because they were inland received little or no rainfall in the summer. However, lakes and rivers to the north had been diverted to fuel an irrigation system. Kel now spent her day's knee deep in muddy water, clearing debris from the ditches.

This however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As the sun grew ever stronger, the temperatures soared and even the cool water of the ditches didn't stop Kel from sweating profusely.

Once all the ditches had been cleared, and each field had a water supply came the laborious task of distributing the water across the huge fields. Each slave was handed two buckets hung across a central pole. In the bottom of the buckets were series of holes. The idea being that as the slave walked between rows of shoots, the water would drip out, steadily watering the plants. It was strenuous work that Idan said would occupy the majority of their summer.

The buckets of water were extremely heavy and Kel's shoulders quickly became bruised and sore. This didn't help in the evenings when she determinedly practised her swordplay with the makeshift weapons.

On her long evenings spent in the forest, Kel had also fashioned herself a staff and began to practise some simple pattern drills. After so much work with a sword, a staff felt clumsy and awkward, but Kel knew that all warriors must be able to use all sorts of different weapons.

One day in mid-June, Kel left the field tired and dirty as always and alongside Idan she walked down to the river. She jumped in, and sat in the knee-deep water, cherishing it's cool embrace on her angry, sun-burnt skin. Her face was peeling from where she had burnt it two days previously and her arms were just as bad.

Idan didn't fair as badly; his skin had quickly turned brown on exposure to the sun. Not for the first time in her life, Kel envied the fact that boys could remove their shirts when it got hot, whilst she was forced to swelter, rolling her sleeves up as high as they would go.

'Why is it so hot?' moaned Kel.

'You just wait until winter,' replied Idan, 'then you'll be longing for some summer sun.'

_With any luck, I won't be here in winter, _thought Kel, wondering how much more of plantation life she was able to take.

That night, instead of practising her fighting for several hours, Kel went for a wander. She was determined to find _something _that might be of use to Alex. She scouted about before strolling over to the guardhouse.

There outside, sat five officers, all sweating in the heat and sharing a mug of what was undoubtedly Taqwr, the favoured Scanran ale. Kel saw the opportunity and took it, spurred into action by months of achieving nothing.

She crept around the back, and after listening carefully at the door, crept inside. It was dark compared with the brilliant sunlight outside and Kel's eyes took a few moments to adjust.

She could here the officers outside talking-

'Don't wanna be workin' in a pissin' slave plantation all me life-'

'You mayn't 'ave to after what boss's sayin' week before las',' replied another guard. 'Twas sommat 'bout greater movement or some daft thing, I dunno, but he's thinkin' th' army'll be lookin' for young sods like you soon enough.'

Kel's heart hammered in her chest, but as quickly as the conversation had swung to a useful topic it deviated off into speculation about how many new slaves would be bought over the coming weeks.

She began to rifle through the drawers of a cabinet, desperately seeking the confirmation, the proof that Maggur was in negotiations with the Gentlund clan. A door creaked and Kel turned, instinctively thrusting the piece of paper she was holding up her shirtsleeve.

'Whatch'you doin' in 'ere?' roared a burly man with a moustache.

Kel dropped the other oddments that she was holding and her eyes darted for the exits. She made a dash for it, diving between the man's legs and tripping him over in the process. Elated, she sprinted for the door, she was free –but another guard appeared out of nowhere and caught her arm in a vice like grip, wrenching Kel around.

'Why you little-' said the first guard, the one that Kel had tripped over, and he punched her in the face.

Kel heard bone break as her nose erupted in agony. Blood began to pour down her face and onto her clothes. Dazed she blinked, her eyes watering madly.

'What's the problem here?' enquired a well-spoken voice, the owner of which Kel couldn't see through her watering eyes.

'This rat was pilferin' our draws.'

'Probably looking for food,' dismissed the well-spoken man. 'Give her a beating so she'll remember not to do it again in future. But _you_ should've been more watchful.'

'Sir,' replied the guard dutifully.

The next thing Kel knew, she had been dropped to the ground and blows were raining down upon her. She curled her arms over her head protectively to stop any further damage to her throbbing face.

Someone kicked the wind out of her and she lay gasping, she was straining for air, her vision blurred with tears when a voice said-

'Alright that's enough; don't kill her, I think the message will stick.'

The guard gave Kel a final kick before turning away. Somewhere, in the pain-filled depths of her brain, Kel realised that they had stopped beating her. She staggered to her feet and ran, not caring in which direction, just to get away from the jeering guards.

She followed the track up further still and came to another set of buildings. Unlike the slave barracks, these were actual cottages and workshops. Kel stared about, breathing hard and desperately trying to stop the blood that still trickled from her nose.

She could hear a clanging from one of the workshops to her left, and she staggered over, peering around the door, frantically forming an idea.

'Is that the blacksmith?' she called.

'Who's asking?' demanded a rough country voice.

'I've got a message,' she called, stepping inside the smithy.

'From who?'

'From me, to a certain friend of ours,' said Kel carefully, not sure that this was the blacksmith that Rhonda had meant.

'Ah,' said the large man, appearing from behind a shelf of assorted metal objects.

'So ye're _that _one,' he looked her over, and Kel could almost imagine the state she must be in. 'I've been wondering when ye'd turn up.'

'Well it's taken me a while to find anything relevant,' replied Kel thickly in a voice distorted by her swollen, bleeding nose.

'Yeah well I told him it'd be a long shot.'

'The guards reckon that Maggur'll be recruiting for his armies soon, which makes it sound like the Clan chief, whatshisname is allied to Maggur.'

'Hmm,' the blacksmith seemed to mull this information over, 'and what do the slaves think.'

'The slaves?' asked Kel questioningly, 'what would they know about politics?'

'A good deal,' retorted the man. 'They'll all be from different places, they'll share news they've overheard or events witnessed. If you can make inquiries…'

'I'll see what I can do,' said Kel, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid that she had been wasting months trying to sniff out information from the wrong people.

She left the smithy soon afterwards, leaving the blacksmith deep in thought.

Kel limped to her usual bathing spot to try and rinse the blood off of her face and out of her clothes. As she rolled up her sleeve to examine the bruises on her wrist a piece of paper fell out. Kel caught it deftly. It was the letter that she'd managed to steal before she was caught.

She scanned it's contents. It was absolutely useless, just a letter from one of the other slave barracks requesting the loan of some cattle. She was about to cast it away when she caught sight of the date at the top of the letter.

_16__th__ June. _Her birthday. Kel wasn't sure exactly how old the letter was, but by the look of it, pretty recent. She was thirteen and she hadn't even realised.

It was a while later that Idan found her, sitting in the stream, letting it's coolness sooth her bruises.

'What happened to you?'

Kel shrugged, not looking at him, but watching the water swirl past her.

'Come on,' said Idan, 'it's getting colder, you need to dry off.'

He waded into the stream and helped Kel up. She hissed in pain as his strong hands touched her bruised side. Once she was standing, Idan lifted up her shirt at the side to reveal an array of rapidly purpling bruises.

Idan swore, his normally cheerful face troubled as he examined Kel's side.

'Someone gave you a pretty thorough beating,' he observed, 'get on the wrong side of the guards?' Kel nodded again, not in the mood for conversation. 'Well, we'll have to set your nose right,' Idan replied, 'otherwise it'll set off-centre.'

Seating Kel on the bank, he knelt in front of her and placed two calloused thumbs either side of Kel's throbbing nose. Without warning he pushed it to the left. The pain was unimaginable as Kel's nose grated and began to bleed again.

'Mithros that hurts,' whimpered Kel, her eyes blurry with tears again.

'It's all done,' said Idan, examining her nose carefully. 'When all of this swelling dies down, it'll be straight, though maybe with a slight dent.'

Kel, who was having difficulty thinking straight –pain was distracting her, allowed Idan to lead her back to the slave barracks and bed.

The next few days were extremely painful for Kel, whose bruised body made labouring three times as worse. She also had two black eyes to add to her assortment of injuries and altogether looked a complete wreck, or so she had been informed by Idan.

* * *

The summer days grew hotter everyday and the slaves regularly collapsed through dehydration and heat exhaustion. By far the worst part of the next few weeks was seeing a boy beaten to death, a scant twenty metres from where Kel and Idan were working.

He'd just sat down, unable to do any more. When the guard tried to get him working again, he'd said something rude and the guard had beaten him there and then until the life fled from his broken body.

Kel, unable to remove her eyes from the scene, watched horrified as the boy died. The only consolation was that he only suffered for a minute or so before falling unconscious. He never woke up.

That night no one missed or mourned the boy and Kel thought numbly, _if I die out here, no one will know, except for Alex. My parents, Neal, Lucie, they'll never know. I'll just simply disappear like that boy and no one will care. _It was not a pleasant thought, but it reminded Kel that one day she was going to return to her homeland.

* * *

…_a massive beast, seven feet tall stood in the doorway. He had a bull's broad neck, large eyes and on top of his head were two broad horns. His nose almost resembled a human's but his jaws were large, slathering and his face wore an expression of undeniable triumph…_

…_the tauros let out a deafening bellow, and lurched forward…_

…_the sword was too heavy and her arms too weak. Her third swing was too slow and the beast lurched forward twisting the weapon from her grip in one fluid motion…_

…_she was jerked forward by the unexpected attack, and the beast second horn gouged her. Scarlet blood began to seep from the long wound which extended the full width of her chest, just below her collarbones…_

…_the force of the blow had tossed her clean off her feet. The ripped material of her dress around the wound was already stained red…_

…_it was upon her before she had time to think or scream for help, its huge mass bearing down on her. It ripped at her underskirts…_

…_Kel began to scream as it continued its merciless attack…_

The familiar nightmare woke Kel with a start and she sat bolt upright. It had been a while since she'd last had it, but it was still as vivid as the day that it had happened. Kel shivered despite of the heat and hugged her knees to her chest, letting her racing heart calm down.

It was silent except for one person's deep, chesty cough further down the barracks.

'Are you okay Eli?' asked Idan sleepily, snaking an arm around Kel's waist.

Kel flinched, still remembering the attack that had happened just under a year and a half previously. Eventually she calmed down enough to lie back down and attempt to catch some more sleep before their early start the next morning.

As she lay staring out into the dark, she could hear people fidgeting in their sleep and the horrible coughing and wheezing of the ill slave but she gradually drifted into uneasy slumber, by now used to the fact that it was never silent in the barracks.

* * *

Making enquiries among the slaves was more difficult than Kel had previously anticipated. She had to ask subtle questions, in the right tone of voice, so as to make it sound like a casual enquiry. Mostly no one knew a thing about what was happening in the rest of Scanra.

A couple of people had overheard guards talking about various alliances, but nothing at all specific. One person had even come from Hastanne and spoke bitterly of Maggur's takeover.

'He'd taken prisoners; friends and family of the Chief. Kept 'em hostage in that castle of his, so the Chief practically let Maggur waltz through the door,' the woman spat on the floor. 'Some of us were taken as slaves, others as warriors to swell that dog's army.'

Kel had thanked the woman for telling her story, but she still wasn't any closer to working out Maggur's plans. It was pretty obvious that Maggur and the Chief of Gentlund were allies, but Alex already knew or suspected that. Kel had wanted to discover some top secret plan and ride off with Alex like she had done last time. But it was not to be.

She had exhausted her list of people to ask. Kel could carry on making enquiries, but she seemed to be going round in circles, it was _very_ frustrating. Kel was venting her annoyance in her daily combat work, practising not only her swordplay and staff work but also the punch and kick that Fassin had taught her.

'Eli?' called a voice from somewhere in the woods. Kel froze and threw her wooden "sword" into the bushes.

'Idan is that you?' she replied.

'Yeah, where are you?'

Kel exited the clearing and headed in the direction of Idan's voice. Gradually Idan appeared through the thick trees.

'What were you doing?' he asked.

'Just walking like I normally do,' Kel lied.

They shared a brief kiss, Idan's hands resting on Kel's lower back whilst Kel's own hands played with the hair at the back of his neck.

'Mmm,' Idan murmured into Kel's hair, 'we haven't done that for a while.'

'I know,' Kel replied sadly.

It'd been hard trying to keep a relationship going in their present circumstances. Everyone was hot, dirty and tired. Once or twice they'd even snapped at each other, but made up soon afterwards.

'Another woman died this afternoon,' said Idan heavily as he let go of Kel.

'Like the first two?' asked Kel.

'It looks like it,' he replied.

'They wouldn't die if there was just a healer, and if they were actually fed,' said Kel angrily, 'it's murder.'

'There's nothing we can do,' said Idan, recognising the glint in Kel's eyes all too well.

'We can try to get people to bring food to those who are sick.'

'No one will listen,' warned Idan, 'people barely survive on their own food ration.'

'Some might,' replied Kel desperately.

* * *

Alex was dabbing at a wound on his forearm which was bleeding sluggishly when a knock resounded upon the door.

'Come in,' he called, instinctively double-checking that his sword lay within reach.

'I was told I could find Alexei here,' ventured a lad, no older than eighteen with a soft country accent.

'Your information was correct,' said Alex, scrutinising the stranger.

'I've a message from Gentlund.'

Alex jumped up, dropping the bloody cloth and the boy handed him the message. His fingers shaking slightly, Alex tossed the boy a small purse full of copper coins. The youth checked the coins over before nodding and departing.

The letter which Alex held, had upon it a wax seal –and as far as Alex could tell it hadn't been tampered with in any way.

He slit the envelope open and unfolded the letter within. It took him a few minutes to decipher the code onto a spare sheet of paper. When he was done, he read the message through.

_Dear Sir,_

_Your "worker" visited me yesterday, she was a bit roughed over when I saw her. What she'd found matched with the rumours that I've been hearing for a while. Allied status seems imminent. Get her out soon before we're overrun by you-know-who._

It was short and factual, it told him what he needed to know, but not what he _wanted _to know. He wanted every detail of how she was coping; Alex didn't like the sound of Kel being "roughed over". But at least he knew she was still alive, or at least alive when the message had been sent.

Alex stood up and peered out of his window into the late evening sun that hung over Tinei. His work here was nearly done. Alex tightly bandaged his forearm and strapped his sword to his waist.

As soon as he was done, he'd ride North-West and go and rescue Kel from the Plantation, he hadn't liked the idea in the first place, and the quicker he could get her out of there, the better.

* * *

**(-a/n- **So this isn't all that long, but next chapter will be very action-packed and I didn't want to just write stuff for the sake of making it longer. As it is, I've spent the whole afternoon writing this (it's hard to concentrate on Christmas Eve!)

I know this chapter isn't particularly essential to the plot, and not much seems to be happening, but it's important for Kel's character. I didn't want to have her suddenly unearthing top-secret information like last time, because I want to keep this as real as possible. I also want to keep her character real, and after all, she's only human, I would imagine that a lot of spying work is just meeting dead-ends. What do you think?

I would love reviews from all who've read this, especially as it's Christmas time! So go on, click the little button and spent a minute leaving me some feedback.)

Have a wonderful Christmas,

**Confusedknight xxxx**


	34. Fields of Gold

(-**a/n- **What can I say apart from "sorry" for the late update? Exams and a swimming teacher's training course have meant that I haven't had a free moment yet in January. Anyway thanks for the overwhelming numbers of reviews, last chapter broke another record!

This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful best friend Jess, and my little baby hamster Remmy who passed away on Wednesday night. For those of you who don't know me, I get very upset when pets die and I loved my little hammy to pieces, so thanks to Jess for putting up with my miserable-ness on Thursday and for generally cheering me up :D )

**Erytha****mountainelements****emerald lady****pinnapleonpizza****Lady Knight Keladry****ilovekel****SOPROL****.yashamew****epobbp****Pepper Lemon****Uncertian Destiny****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****Lady Mage****elfie-may****princessofcrown101****Lil' Miss All dat****HeyK****Pie of Doomeh****Covered Clouds****On top of cloud 9****Evil Bunny of Death****stardust718****Magickless Sorceress****seekerchick06****Forget Me Not Blue****BlackWidow12****TheBrassPotato****Skyline Romance****Dom-Basher CHAMPION****, Hunchbook, ****Eclipsa****Yabberli****K.D. Rai****, writers wanted, ****littletrickstergirl****Hasamaki****SarahE7191****Cheeseycraziness****Transfiguration****, clurr, ****inhuman grace****kgwoozle****stoictimer****fairydust000****Venuspixie****SaoirseWaveglow****Sandrilene Laterne****Lady Sapphirea****Cede****Serilia****bookworm.amm****Sunkissed Guacamole****Drunken Little Monkey****, Lisy111, ****JaBoyYa****Faia Sakura****Mint Tea Rose****Krae Z. Rokke****NotAfraidToLive****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****Die Grosse Heldin von Lyoko****, catloverkid, ****Minathia****theknightofkonaha****soupcan****untamedspiral****InkblotTheDarking****, futrdirector, ****Jaden Scorpio****, Orohippus, ****lady kight jacky cullen****Dragon Huntress****SabbyRinaBanina****, Bertie Botts, Me, ****jesi ki kage****Mystic Moon Empress****, Google it!, mirannda, ****killing u with umbrellas****seven3eight****CelticGoddess09****The Sherberty Lemon****, alexlilyros, ****DaughterofDeath****oirishgoddess****Love.Always.Alice.and.Jaspe****r, ****Erynfaer****brezzybrez****New lord of darkness****, TheDarknessAroundme, ****Grace of Masbolle****, Nicola, ****Irish Ninja Chick****fiercedragon****Lady Zarobiti****, Gem, ****Night-Player****youdontwant2no****Feed The Foxes****MarsOutcast****, mylovelyminion, elf warrior princess, Nari-Lomiel, ****truffletruffle01****berndi****Zashera****, hail flying spaghetti monster, ****Incendia Lupus, ****yaoi kitsune, ****gems, milky way bar, wAstxd1sYmPhOny, tomboy, Abikinz, forbidden stars, MoonGoddessBookworm & Maggie.**

**13.shimer.13** Yes!! I love Twilight; I got it for Christmas and finished reading it the same day! Then on Boxing day I ran out and bought New Moon and Eclipse, which I finished on Boxing day! Hehe!

**Dee** Thanks for the lovely long review!

**Right or Ryn** Okay! That review was huge! Totally, wonderfully, huge:D

**Aly** My friend bought me a time turner on Wednesday as a joke! Lol. It's one of the collectible Harry Potter ones! Hehe

Wowee! That took a looong time to write all of your names down! But thanks to each and every one of you who are decent enough to leave me reviews :D

My inspiration for this chaper is 'Fields of Gold' by Eva Cassidy. I'm sure you've all heard it, but if not listen to it on youtube :P

_You'll remember me when the west wind moves  
Among the fields of barley  
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky  
When we walked in fields of gold _

So she took her love for to gaze awhile  
Among the fields of barley  
In his arms she fell as her hair came down  
Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me will you be my love  
Among the fields of barley  
And you can tell the sun in his jealous sky  
When we walked in fields of gold

I never made promises lightly  
And there have been some that I've broken  
But I swear in the days still left  
We will walk in fields of gold  
We'll walk in fields of gold

I never made promises lightly  
And there have been some that I've broken  
But I swear in the days still left  
We will walk in fields of gold  
We'll walk in fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days  
Among the fields of barley  
See the children run as the sun goes down  
As you lie in fields of gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves  
Among the fields of barley  
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky  
When we walked in fields of gold 

**Confusedknight xxx**

**

* * *

**

The next day three more people had fallen ill and another person had died, this time a young child. Kel tried to encourage others to share their food with the sick slaves, but few paid her much attention. Kel herself, despite her rumbling stomach, collected her own breakfast ration and fed it's entirety to a sick mother in the bed opposite her own.

Hungry and worried about how far the sickness was going to spread, Kel followed Idan out into the fields. Today they were lead to some new fields where knee-high thorny bushes grew in rows. Their daily work had been changed from watering the fields to picking the small juicy berries grew upon the prickly bushes.

'No eating the fruit,' instructed one of the guardsmen as he handed out small baskets. 'These berries stain, so we'll be able to tell who's been eating them. Anyone caught damaging or eating berries will be beaten until they can no longer walk.'

Resigned, Kel started to pick the small dark purple fruits from the bush. Within seconds she had snared her hand on a thorn, creating a shallow cut in her tanned skin. Biting back a curse, she wiped her hand on her shirt and began to pick again.

By the time that they stopped for their brief lunch break, Kel had come to a conclusion that it was impossible to avoid the bushes' spiny claws. Her hands were covered in small scratches that stung and her fingers were stained purple with berry-juice.

'Having fun?' asked Idan with his grin firmly in place despite his hands being just as scratched as Kel's.

'Well it beats hauling water,' said Kel with a shrug, gulping at her drink.

Idan nodded in agreement. 'Although working with water kept you cooler,' he pointed out, wiping a juice-stained hand across his forehead to soak up the sweat that had beaded there.

Kel however, wasn't listening. She was watching one of the men that regularly worked in their group throwing up his meagre lunch into the hedge.

'Are you alright?' Kel called as she walked over to help him.

'My head is spinning,' he groaned, as he knelt on all fours.

'Maybe it's the heat?' suggested Idan from behind Kel.

'Try and drink some more water,' coaxed Kel. But it was no good; no sooner had the man drunk, he was retching and heaving once again.

'How long have you felt like this?' asked Idan.

'Since last night,' admitted the man.

The guards signalled that their lunch break was over and Idan pulled the man to his feet. All three of them set off with their baskets to pick the fruit.

Perspiration rolled down Kel's dirty face in a desperate attempt to cool her down. The intensity of the sun's rays was overpowering and the scene around Kel shimmered in a heat haze. Screwing up her eyes against the blinding light Kel continued to do battle with the prickly bushes, sustaining yet more injuries until her hands bled freely.

Kel sunk so deep into her thoughts that when the guards finally called the end of the working day, Kel did not hear. It was only after Idan's bleeding hand took her own, that she staggered to her feet and made her way back to the stream behind the barracks.

Kel stumbled into the cool water and lay back, fully clothed, her eyes closed. She felt Idan do the same and reached out for his hand underwater. The coolness numbed everything and they lay for a while, absorbing the calm of the stream.

Idan reached for Kel and pulled her close to him, holding her tight as though he never wanted to let her go.

'What's the matter?' murmured Kel.

'Nothing,' Idan said, and he turned Kel's face towards his own so that he could place a kiss upon her sunburnt lips.

They broke apart and Idan helped Kel up the bank. After eating their evening meal quickly and silently, they headed back inside the barracks, still damp from the stream.

When they entered the long room, an overwhelming smell of vomit and human faeces hit Kel. It was unusually quiet, the silence punctuated only by the moans and groans of the sick.

On one of the beds that Kel walked past a woman was tossing and turning fretfully in sleep, her face plastered with sweat, whilst in the bed next to her a man lay shivering visibly, clutching the blanket around him.

Kel stared around, fully and horribly aware that this wasn't an evil that she could fight. If only Neal were here or someone with a slight healing talent, or at least someone who could advise people on how to fight the sickness. But there was no one, and Kel lay down for a nap, feeling utterly helpless.

Despite her turbulent thoughts Kel drifted off to sleep and when she next woke up it was to the soft, diminished sound of the slave's singing. Kel joined in, and the music echoed with the desperation and anxiety that had overcome many of the slaves. They sang because it was the only thing they had left, the only thing that hadn't been stripped away from them. As they sang, the music seemed to quieten some of the delirious slaves who had been shaking and crying out for hours.

Soon after the last song finished, Kel buried her face into the straw mattress and willed herself into the oblivion of deep sleep.

The next morning dawned and a sombre mood hung over the barracks. Slaves helped the guards to remove the bodies of those who had died during the night, whilst others looked on, expressions grim.

Kel looked around for Idan, wondering when he had disappeared. She helped herself to breakfast, still wondering where he had gone; it wasn't like him to leave her side unless she asked to be left alone.

Just as she was heading out onto the fields, Idan appeared at her elbow, looking strangely pale.

'Are you okay?' Kel asked worriedly.

'Yeah, fine,' Idan said grimly. 'More people were found dead in the other barracks too. It seems to have spread.'

Kel rubbed at her slave collar absentmindedly, her fingers soothing her chaffed skin as she looked around. The work force was visibly reduced, but the guards didn't seem to care as they worked the remaining labourers harder than ever.

The sun beat down mercilessly and Kel worked until her head swam and her vision blurred. At lunchtime she was too busy gulping water and resting her head on her knees to notice Idan vomiting his meal into the bushes.

Kel's torn fingers continued to work automatically, and she barely noticed the scratching claws of the berry bushes anymore. She turned her face into the sun, screwing her eyes up further than she thought was possible and squinted further up the row to where Idan was working.

Her heart missed a beat. Idan was on his hands and knees retching onto the earthy ground. Fear washed over her in an icy wave. If something happened to Idan…she didn't know if she'd be able to struggle through the long days at the plantation without him.

Kel abandoned her basket and rushed to his side.

'I'm fine,' croaked Idan.

Kel said nothing, and lifted his face up to hers. His skin was pale, sweaty and clammy. Iron bands squeezed at her chest; it was the same pallor that she had seen upon all of the sick in the first stages of their illness.

'Come on, you need to get into the shade,' Kel muttered.

She flung one of his arms around her shoulder and supported him as they struggled up the row of bushes.

Someone grabbed her arm and Kel turned.

'You ain't going anywhere,' the guard said nastily, brandishing his whip. 'He can make 'is way back on 'is own, but you can still work. We've got this field to finish.'

Anger flooded through Kel's veins, but Idan lay a calming hand upon her arm.

'I can go by myself,' he croaked.

If it wasn't for the fact that Kel needed to work to get them both food for the evening, she would've attempted to disobey the guard, but she gave in and fell back to her work; determined to finish as quickly as possible.

Even with Kel working twice as hard it still took the group of slaves longer than normal to finish, purely due to their reduced numbers. When she did, Kel flew up the slope towards the barracks, her bare and dirty feet pounding on the hard earth.

She searched down by the river, but Idan was nowhere to be found, so she hurried back to the barracks and discovered him sprawled face down, his hands over his head on their bed.

'How're you feeling?' asked Kel, feeling inadequate and awkward.

'Like the whole world is spinning madly,' groaned Idan.

'How long have you been feeling like this?'

'Since last night,' admitted Idan, 'but I didn't want to worry you.'

'You idiot,' said Kel. 'You should've spent today resting.'

Idan didn't reply. 'Is there anything I can get you?' asked Kel.

'Water,' he croaked.

Kel scurried off to fetch some water. When supper time came she gave Idan all of her meal, only for him to promptly throw it up. When they went to bed several hours later, Kel held on to Idan's feverish body, as though if she held on tight enough she would never lose him.

* * *

The next few days were torture for Kel as Idan steadily worsened in the way that many slaves had before him. Kel was one of only a few slaves that were still out working. She only did so to feed Idan. Many slaves who might've recovered from the illness died because they had no one to bring them food when they couldn't work. 

By the end of the third day, Kel had a massive headache, which she accredited to having stayed in the sun for too long. However when the vomiting started a day later, Kel knew that she too had fallen prey to the sickness.

One morning the pounding on Kel's head increased to such an intensity that she could no longer work. Laying down on the bed in defeat she prayed that Idan would survive without her bringing him regularly food.

Kel's condition deteriorated rapidly. Her throat ached with thirst but her stomach couldn't hold any water down. Her lips became cracked and blood trickled into her mouth leaving a metallic taste behind. Her stomach swelled, and Kel's whole body began to ache just as badly has her head did.

Kel tried to get up to fetch some water but the ground swam and swirled beneath her feet and she managed to stagger back into bed, giving in to the darkness, allowing it to swallow her whole.

Alex rode into the main house at the Forkskang Plantation in Gentlund. He tingled with excitement at seeing Kel again for the first time in just under four months, but also with nerves. This Clan was about to fall to Maggur. Perhaps the takeover was only days away, Alex didn't know, but he wanted to collect Kel and get as far away from the Clan as possible.

'Excuse me,' he said politely to an official looking man. 'I'm looking to track a slave. Where are the records for the plantation?'

The man pointed to a small, brick red building on the right-hand side of the courtyard. Alex nodded his thanks and dismounted, tethering Prince to a post.

'I'm making enquiries about a female slave, purchases about four months ago.' Alex explained as he approached the desk inside the building.

'Number?' asked the clerk curtly.

'L-zero-two-five-eight.'

'Hmm,' murmured the clerk, flicking through a large log book. 'Yes we own that particular slave.'

'I wish to purchase the slave,' Alex stated simply.

The clerk ogled at him; evidently it was strange for a man to wish to purchase a specific slave.

'Very well then,' replied the portly man, 'fifteen silver nobles.'

'Eight,' Alex shot back. He would've paid fifty nobles to get Kel back, but he didn't want to appear too strange.'

'Twelve,' the man replied.

'Ten.'

'Eleven.'

'Deal,' said Alex impatiently, knowing full well that it was twice what Kel would've been bought for originally.

The clerk handed Alex a bill of sale. 'Show that to the guards on duty and they'll release the binding magic the slave's collar. You'll find the slave on the fourth sector.'

Alex nodded his head in a bow, and strode out, swinging himself back atop Prince.

'You there,' he hailed a small, dishevelled boy. 'Which way to the fourth sector?'

The boy pointed, startled at being addressed by the handsome man on the horse.

'Thanks,' Alex galloped off, leaving the boy even more surprised at being thanked.

Alex followed the beaten earth track in the direction that the boy had pointed. Prince's hooves thundered down, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

Eventually they came to a farm where a sign that read 'Sector Four' in dark, black letters was hammered into the ground. Alex walked up to the office and presented his bill of sale.

The guard examined it carefully. 'If you can find her, then bring her here and we'll remove the collar.'

'Where is she?'

The guard shrugged his muscular shoulders. 'How should I know? They're free to roam all over this sector.'

'Then where shall I look?' asked Alex angrily.

'There are seven lots of barracks; most of the slaves will be back from the fields by now.'

'I'll search them all then,' said Alex resolutely.

The man shrugged. 'Don't be surprised if you don't find who you came looking for.'

'What do you mean?' asked Alex sharply.

'There's been a sickness among the slaves…'

Alex didn't wait to hear anymore.

He searched the first barracks, calling out Kel's name and asking anyone who'd listen for a girl of her description. All around him he saw people dying and others still struggling to survive, and he hoped against hope that any moment Kel might appear, smiling, pleased to see him, but she never did.

He searched the second, the third and the fourth barracks to no avail. He'd seen a hundred different slaves of all ages, sizes and colours. People had reached out to him, begging him to help them. Alex hadn't thought that he was particularly well dressed, but compared to the people living in the same rags day after day, he looked like a King, well-groomed and healthy.

When he braved the stench of the fifth barracks, he noticed the number of empty beds and realised with horror that not long ago people had occupied the spaces. A woman clutched fruitlessly at the lifeless body of a young boy, refusing to let him go, screaming her grief. Alex turned away, unable to bear the spectacle any longer.

About halfway up the room, Alex glanced to his left and saw a girl hanging onto a young man with messy black hair. He almost turned away but then realised with a thrill of horror that it was Kel's face beneath the tan and dirt. She was mumbling incoherently and as he tried to pry her away from the boy she cried out and scrabbled madly.

'Kel it's me,' Alex soothed as he picked her up, finding it all too easy. He could feel her ribcage beneath the filthy shirt that was covered in blood, mud and vomit.

'Oh Kel,' he whispered horrified. 'What happened to you?'

He checked the body of the man whom she had been curled up against and sighed. He turned away and hurried out into the sunlight, Kel tucked safely in his arms. Alex hauled them both up onto Prince and returned to the head office.

He set Kel down upon the guard's desk. 'The mage,' he growled.

The guard wrinkled his nose in distaste, but called for the mage nonetheless. 'She won't make it you know,' he said looking at Kel who was muttering to herself, her eyes bloodshot and wild. 'Them that go delirious don't live.'

'This one will,' replied Alex steadily, unable to comprehend the alternative.

The mage removed magic from the slave collar and Alex was out of the door with Kel in a flash, before the guard could say anything else.

He rode with Kel lolling in front of him, like he had never ridden before. Prince rose to the challenge and together they flew across the countryside to the main town of Gentlund and the rooms that he owned.

The healer came as quickly as she could and tried to burn the sickness out of Kel.

'I've done the best that I can,' she said, ashen-faced and trembling at such a lengthy expenditure of her Gift. 'The rest will be up to the Goddess. The next few days will be crucial; if she survives the next forty-eight hours then she'll make a full recovery.'

When the healer left, Alex removed the slave collar along with the rest of Kel's soiled clothes and bathed her, removing vomit, faeces, blood and mud. Then he tucked Kel into bed and attempted to dribble some water through her lips. Most of it spilled down her chin and onto her front but she did manage to swallow some.

For the rest of the evening Kel tossed fretfully, speaking rapidly in a jumble of Yamani, Scanran and Common. She cried repeatedly, calling out for a 'Neal' and 'Lucie'.

'I won't,' she shouted out in common, 'I won't give up.' And then she would scream, curling up into a small ball. Alex tried to comfort her, but Kel was trapped deep in her mind and no amount of soothing would calm her.

As Kel cried out for the world to hear, Alex realised that he was getting a deep and private glimpse into Kel's inner emotions.

'I'm so scared,' she whimpered in Scanran, before switching to Yamani gibberish that Alex didn't understand.

He stayed with her all night, until Kel's ramblings subsided. In the morning he prepared a mixture of water, salt and sugar, which the healer had left and trickled it down Kel's throat.

He also rubbed soothing balm upon Kel's chaffed neck and dry lips. Physically Kel was a mess. Stick thin, with only a little muscle to cover her bones, some of her hair had fallen out and her eyes were red-rimmed and constantly teary. Her nose ran and her lips bled. Her hands had been damaged; layers of thick callous torn in little half-healed gashes.

Alex patched her up the best he could but it made his blood boil to think that Kel had been treated in this way. Even worse in a way was the fact that Kel could've gotten a message to him, but as always she was determined to complete her task, putting the good of others before herself. If she died he would never forgive himself.

Two days later when the hallucinations resided to deep sleep, Alex decided it was time to move on from Gentlund. He had to decide what to do with Kel; she needed time to rest and return to full fitness, but on the other hand he couldn't stay with her all of that time; he had things that needing doing, pressing issues that needed attending to.

One idea that struck him was a family that he knew in Dundine. _Yes, _he thought, _that would be perfect. _

So he collected Kel's sword and other possessions from under the floorboards of the small room and rode off into the sunrise, Kel still slumped in front of him in the saddle.

* * *

'Jacqui?' he called out tentatively. It was late evening and he didn't want to wake the family if he could help it. 

The door to the small house opened and a thin, short woman was revealed. She had eyes of the lightest grey and hair as blonde as fresh corn.

'Alexei!' she exclaimed. 'What a pleasant surprise!'

As Alex stepped into the light of the small flag-stone hallway, Jacqui caught sight of the bundle in his arms.

'What in the name of Mithros?'

'I need to ask you a favour…' And so Alex narrated a slightly edited version of who Kel was and how she came to be in this condition.

'Well of course she can stay here,' said Jacqui without hesistation.

'When she's feeling stronger she would be some help for you and your children,' said Alex gently.

'Yes well,' the woman shifted uncomfortably. 'Until then she is a guest in our household.'

The woman set up a small pallet in the corner of the sitting room and helped Alex tuck Kel in.

'She's going to need a lot of support to-'

'Yes Alex,' interrupted the shorter woman. 'I know how to care for children.'

Alex was about to reply that Kel was hardly a child, but he realised once again to his shock that Kel should still be enjoying her childhood, something that had been cruelly ripped away from her. Something of his thoughts must've shown in his face because Jacqui laid a comforting hand on his arm.

'Life's not fair sometimes, and I think that you understand that more than most Alex. We'll just give her the time and space to come to this on her own terms, just like you did.'

Alex turned his face away. 'I'll be back in a few days to check on her progress before I leave for the North.'

'Alex-'

'Thank you once again,' said Alex overriding the woman and leaving the small cosy house without another word.

Jacqui sighed and turned back to her new charge.

* * *

'Shhh! You'll wake her,' hissed the voice of a young child. 

'Be quiet yourself,' whispered another.

Kel opened her eyes and blinked.

'Ma!! She's awake,' called one voice very loudly from just next to Kel.

Kel winced and experimentally tried moving a limb. It hurt, which convinced her that this wasn't just another dream. Gently she propped herself up, as her vision returned slowly to her. Three pairs of blue eyes stared down at her apprehensively, their young faces surrounded by blonde curls.

A stringy woman with kind grey eyes appeared at the doorway and suddenly everything flooded back to Kel in one over-powering rush. The plantation, the slaves, the sickness, Idan… She gasped and the three children leapt backwards in shock.

And suddenly the woman was there, supporting her and rubbing Kel's back in comforting circles while she gasped and shook.

'Where am I?' croaked Kel.

'Alex bought you here; Redroc, a small village to the east of Dundine. He should be back sometime later today. You've been asleep for a long time.'

Kel tried to absorb the information. She had been rescued from the Plantation and taken to a completely different clan. Her immediate thought was Idan. What had happened to him? She had been going to ask for Alex to free Idan too…

Whilst she stewed over these thoughts, the woman pushed her gently back down onto the bed. 'You rest for a while lass,' she told Kel.

Kel consented to remain in bed for the whole morning, but by lunchtime she was restless and pulled herself to her feet, using a nearby chair for support. Gradually she straightened up and took some wobbly steps, like a baby learning to walk for the first time. Kel managed to make her way over to the kitchen table, where she collapsed on a chair.

Kel's hand went to her neck and found it incredibly strange to not feel the rough collar of iron and leather bound there. She glanced down at her hands and saw that the cuts and scratches that she had sustained from the thorn bushes had faded into small pink scars.

She slowly stretched out her legs, getting herself used to the feelings of conscious movement. Determinedly Kel stood up and stumbled her way around the table again, before sitting down.

The woman entered the kitchen carrying an armful of sheets. She didn't look surprised to see Kel awake and sitting at the table.

'Let's find you something to eat,' she said, placing the sheets on the table. 'Then you can go and get dressed before Alex arrives.'

Kel accepted some of the hot soup that the woman offered her and sipped gently, relishing the taste of something that wasn't stew or stale bread.

The woman sat down at the table opposite Kel.

'I don't want to be rude-' said Kel carefully, 'But who are you?'

'Jacqui,' replied the woman kindly. 'Alex has requested that you stay with us until you've returned to your full strength. The three young ones that you saw earlier are my three children; Isra, Hal and Meah, the littlest one. I also have a husband around here somewhere,' joked Jacqui, 'but he'll return later after he's finished his work with the goats.'

When Kel had eaten all of the soup that she could manage, Jacqui led her into a privy which was down the corridor from the sitting room.

'Here's some clothes,' Jacqui handed her an armful of garments. 'I'm afraid they may be a little big for you, but Alex has promised to bring you some clothes later on.' Jacqui shut the door, leaving Kel to get changed.

Kel pulled off the nightshirt and dressed herself in a baggy shift and dress. She then stepped in front of an ancient-looking mirror. For a moment she stared, open-mouthed at the stranger who was looking back at her.

Kel hadn't looked upon her reflection for a long time, and if it hadn't been for the familiar hazel eyes staring back at her, she wouldn't have recognised herself. Her skin was tanned dark brown and the freckles that dusted her nose stood out prominently. Her face had lost the little fat that it had previously, so that her face was more defined and her nose had a slight bump in it where it had been broken. She touched a finger to the hair that hung past her shoulders; it was thin and sun-bleached almost to a light blonde colour.

Turning away, unable to examine herself any longer, Kel made her way back into the kitchen.

'Do you mind if I take a walk outside?' she asked Jacqui.

The older woman shook her head. 'Just don't stray too far, you'll still be feeling very weak.'

It was true; walking was a great effort, so Kel only wandered to the end of the garden where she sat down on a grassy hillock that overlooked the farmland.

She lay back on the grass, turning her face towards the sun and screwed her eyes up tight against it's glare. She let the sun's warmth flow into her, trying to think about nothing in particular, fighting to block out the memories of her messy life.

The person she had been before she'd left the palace was but a mere memory, someone whom Kel couldn't relate to any longer. It was hard to believe that once she had lived such a cushy existence.

Kel scratched an itch on her chest, able to feel individual ribs beneath the thin cotton shift. She heard footsteps and sat up, turning to face the newcomer. Blinking to clear her vision, Kel gazed up at Alex, feeling completely dazed.

Alex covered the few paces towards her, dropped to his knees and pulled Kel into a firm hug. After a moment Kel responded, hugging him back, finally feeling an intense rush of relief and joy at being reunited with Alex.

They clung to each other for over a minute, before loosening their grip on each other.

'Gods above Kel,' murmured Alex. 'You gave me a scare and a half.' He let out a shaky breath.

Kel said nothing, not sure of what she could say.

'Why didn't you send a message?' Alex asked desperately. 'I could've removed you from there weeks ago.'

Kel shrugged, 'I was still trying to find information.'

'You could've _died,' _said Alex, his throat constricting painfully.

Kel shifted awkwardly, what was done was done. She searched around for another topic of conversation.

'So how long am I staying here for?'

'Until you've completely recovered.'

'I can be ready to ride in a few days,' said Kel.

'No,' Alex overrode her, 'I mean completely recovered. I want you to put some fat on that body of yours. I want your strength and fitness up to it's highest levels, before I take you back into the field.'

'But-'

'No,' he said firmly. 'There's no argument about it. If you had a fight in the near future, skill or no skill you wouldn't see it through. You've been undernourished for months and are only just recovering from a life-threatening illness. You've got to take it easy, build yourself up slowly,' he paused for breath. 'I've given Jacqui a substantial sum of money so that you can eat some decent food for the next few months.'

Kel nodded in defeat and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

'Alex…when I was at the plantation, I met someone. Someone who looked after me…'

Alex closed his eyes; he knew what was coming.

'I want you to buy him, set him free,' said Kel in a rush.

'I can't,' said Alex gently.

'Why not?' demanded Kel. 'You seem to have enough money and I'm sure he would work hard-'

'I'm sorry Kel but it's just not possible-'

'But Alex, you don't understand what it was like. He kept me _alive_; I don't know if I'd have survived without him.'

'Then I owe him my thanks,' said Alex, looking down at the girl whom he regarded as a sister.

'Then repay him,' Kel urged, 'set him free.'

'Kel, I've already said I can't-'

'WHY NOT?' exploded Kel, her pent up emotions bursting free.

'BECAUSE HE'S DEAD.'

Kel froze, wide-eyed staring at Alex. 'It's not true…tell me it's not true…' she pleaded, shaking her head.

'Black hair, bright blue eyes, a scratch down one cheek…' said Alex heavily.

Tears slipped unnoticed out of the corners of Kel's eyes. 'He scratched himself during the delirium,' she whispered, eyes staring straight ahead, loss filling every inch of her.

'Kel…' said Alex laying a hand on her upper arm.

Kel flinched and staggered to her feet. Tears now cascading down her cheeks she stumbled blindly down the hill and out of Alex's sight. She dropped to her knees in the long grass and let her grief overwhelm her. She shook with sobs and rocked back and forth, wanting to scream the injustice to the heavens.

Kel felt like she had a hole inside her, as though some integral part of her had been torn away. She remained stooped in the long grass for what seemed like hours. She wanted Idan back, wanted to see his smile and hear his laugh. How could he be dead when she needed him so much?

And once again that awful question rebounded inside her aching head. _Why did he have to die? _She asked to no one in particular. _Why did he have to go to the Black God's realms, when scum like Maggur are still alive? Why, why, why?_

Memories of Idan tormented her. Him laughing, smiling, joking. Both of them, lying together in a field, laughing and kissing. Splashing each other in the stream, happy, in love...Kel couldn't bear it; she howled with pain, the pain of losing him.

She was still rocking backwards and forwards, hiccoughing slightly when Jacqui found her an hour later. The woman helped the distraught girl up, and led her back into the house.

* * *

**(-a/n-** A nice long chapter for you all, one which has taken several days for me to write. As always I hope you enjoyed it –I'd love it if you left me a review :D Pretty please? You might get an update faster…In the meantime if you're looking for something to read I uploaded a one-shot a couple of weeks ago called 'Understanding', or you can read 'Eldorne's atonement' which is written by 'Group Askew' -a group of authors that I belong to… 

Just one last thing…400 people have this story on 'Story Alert', so every time I update 400 emails are being sent to various corners of the globe…It would be nice if 400 people reviewed –sighs- because if they aren't reading this fic then I have caused an awful lot of junk email…lol :P )

Muchos love to everyone,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	35. Change

**(-a/n- **Wahoo!! So many reviews a speedy update :D (Well speedy for me anyway!)

Thanks for all your compliments and encouragement; I love to hear that you're all enjoying it. I'm sorry I had to kill Idan, but it was always his fate…:'(

Just to clear a few things up:

1) Kel is now thirteen.

2) I have all of the plot lined out for this story, but I can never assign chapters to my ideas, so I don't know how long this will end up being, I will however finish this. I promise.

3) Yes I know that Sting has an equally good version of 'Fields of gold' but I don't have the track on my computer which is why I used the Eva Cassidy one.

4) The time when you learn about Alex's past is close at hand; about another three chapters or so ;D

All my heartfelt thanks to the people below:

**truffletruffle01****Sandrilene Laterne****Krae Z. Rokke****Drunken Little Monkey****Brokenflamesrebel****, Shang Leopard, ****jesi ki kage****, llamacheese, ****Evil Bunny of Death****, Xander, ****Foy****SOPROL****writer wanted****, invisible, ****The Sherberty Lemon****Mint Tea Rose****onyx-jade potter****, gems, ****BlackWidow12****Eruanna Eire****PsychoLioness****13.shimer.13****, I had a name but I forgot it, ****Mystic Moon Empress****Bella6393****hahasxybitch****Amber Jack****Pie of Doomeh****, Miz, ****kgwoozle****InkblotTheDarking****stardust718****, Yanikei (who is lazy), ****Uncertian Destiny****pinnapleonpizza****Sunkissed Guacamole****Orohippus****soccerchick-08****, juzblue, ****NotAfraidToLive****Right or Ryn****IkarusCazadores****lady kight jacky cullen****Skyline Romance****, tomboy, ****pretty how town****JaBoyYa****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****, Cede, The knights who until recently said Ni, ****WannaBeGreen****Lady Gallatea Ravenclaw****Eclipsa****killing u with umbrellas****Kage Kitsun****Fariy Lights****Lightish Red****Incendia Lupus****Incendia Lupus****charmedgirl90****soupcan****Hasamaki****, clurr, ****rootless californian****Yabberli****berndi****milky way bar****milky way bar****Da Lady Vitch****Venuspixie****Minathia****doms celestial artemis****gaya2081****oirishgoddess****Cheeseycraziness****XIII Dragon****Lady Sapphirea****MoonGoddessBookworm****Lady Mage****, A Fan, ****seekerchick06****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****Erynfaer****mountainelements****neverlife****On top of cloud 9****ankhesenamun256****princessofcrown101****misfit270****tigeresse****, New Lord of Darkness, ****Capiorcorpus****SakuraBlossom221334****, Love.Always.Alice.and.Jasper, ****Golden23****KickUpSomeDust****, Europe 3,****scampneoroxy****, lightdreams, ****Kyubbi-Sama****In the Silence****, Michi, ****Pepper Lemon****Geminia****Forget Me Not Blue****Scarlet Ice Cascading****untamedspiral****Lady Knight Keladry****, Google it!, ****K.D. Rai****Dragon Huntress****LadyKnightSusan****youdontwant2no****epobbp****Daughters of Grace****hyperbookworm****hyperbookworm****nightwisp****Irish Ninja Chick****, Dana, ****Serilia****elfie-may****the. dead. addict.****mandy-san****Firgof Raina****Jaden Scorpio****amitai, & emerald lady**

**SarahE7191** Well this is the thing…it depends on how long this fic is by the time I get there! Lol. But I will definitely keep on writing until I finish "the story":P

**Hunchbook** –Firstly thanks for the lovely long reviews. Secondly constructive criticism is always welcome –I'm here to improve my writing after all. Ok, the whole point that I deliberately made Kel not find any information was because sometimes I read stories that just whiz through with amazing coincidences and good luck every step of the way; it's not overly realistic. As for Alex, he needs to have flaws too, and can't know everything about everywhere…

But I think you're probably right about the 'running' bit though. In my head, her running down the hill really wasn't more than ten paces or so, but I don't think I made it clear enough. You're right I did have an image in my head –Kel sobbing in the grass was a sort of focal point for that part of the plot, so maybe I should've thought about it a bit more. I think that when I get around to editing that chapter, I'll change it. (I'm gradually going over the chapters and correcting typos/inconsistencies etc. but it's taking ages!)

I'll try and sort out the sentences…But I don't have an English teacher to impress –I dropped English last year :P (which is kind of crazy, but I don't enjoy over-analysing books unless they're really good…I mean if Harry Potter were on the syllabus…lol. :P ) and once again thanks for all the help xx

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

**

Kel accepted a large mug of warm goat's milk from Jacqui. She sat at the roughly hewn dining room table and was surrounded by blonde haired children.

The eldest boy and girl sipped at their milk, their small hands cradling the mugs. Kel drank also, not really tasting the warm creamy liquid, but instead she stared blankly at the kitchen wall.

It had been just over a week since Alex had left again. It had taken her a few days for her anger at Alex to dissipate, but eventually a logical part of her brain accepted that he was not responsible for Idan's death.

All the same, since the bad news had been broken, Kel had just felt numb inside; her every waking thought occupied by memories. She had cried many times, unable to control her emotions as she once had.

Jacqui and her husband Eron had given her all of the space that she needed and their children were equally wary about the strange girl that had become a part of their household. Kel had spent much of the past week in bed, exhausted by grief. Only in the last couple of days had she wandered aimlessly, without purpose in the small country bungalow that was her new home.

She was so tired, tired of losing people, tired of the heartache, tired of new places and faces. Her illness had sapped her energy and even after a week of ever-larger meals of good quality food, she was still lethargic.

Kel drained the cup and stood up to leave the room. She didn't really have an objective in mind –Kel completed the daily functions such as sleeping and eating with the same amount of disinterest.

'Kel, could you stay and help Meah with her milk?' asked Jacqui in such a way that it was not a question. 'I need to go and talk to Eron. Hal and Isra, when you've finished you can help Kel to wash up.'

'Yes Mama,' chorused the two innocent looking children.

Kel sat back down, feeling a prickling of annoyance that she had to stay and help the two-year-old. It was not a nice feeling, but it was the first emotion that wasn't grief that she had felt in over a week.

Jacqui left the room, carrying a small basket of food. Kel watched her go and then turned to Meah, who was sitting quietly and staring at Kel with her big blue eyes.

'Aren't you going to help her?' prompted Hal, the middle sibling.

Kel reached for the remaining mug of milk awkwardly and held it out to the two-year old. All of the children watched her, their expressions guarded. Meah reached for the mug and tried fruitlessly to grasp the cup with her small, podgy fingers.

Exasperated, Kel got up, causing the three children to start and went over to Meah, scooping her up as she used to do with her nieces and nephews all those years ago. Settling the wriggling blonde child on her lap, Kel held the mug to the toddler's lips and helped her to drink.

It wasn't skilful; milk dripped everywhere as the child gurgled happily. Kel removed the mug to give Meah a break and succeeded in splashing milk all down her front. Meah giggled spraying milk all over Kel. Some landed on her face and dripped down her nose.

Suddenly all the children's sniggeringand stopped abruptly, wondering what the stranger would make of the situation. Kel reached up to wipe the milk off of her face and to her, and the children's surprise a small chuckle escaped her throat. Instantly the three siblings fell about with mirth.

When Meah had calmed down, Kel readjusted her on her lap and helped the infant to finish her milk. When it was all gone, or split over Kel, the small girl burped contentedly and snuggled against Kel's shoulder. Naturally Kel adjusted her embrace and held the little child tight.

Isra and Hal collected the mugs and took them to the sink. Kel stood up, holding Meah over one hip and helped the brother and sister to clean up the mess that had been created. At one point Kel tried to put Meah down, but the girl clung to her new friend tightly and in the end Kel admitted defeat.

Once everything was cleared away, she sat down on the sofa, Meah still attached to her like a limpet. Isra perched on a chair, whilst her younger brother sprawled on a rug next to the empty hearth.

'How old are you?' asked Hal boldly.

'Thirteen,' replied Kel, her voice slightly hoarse from disuse.

'I'm four, nearly five,' he declared proudly, ogling at Kel all of the while.

'What about you?' Kel asked Isra, who was shyer than her other siblings.

'Seven,' she replied quietly.

'Only just,' replied Hal, rolling onto his back and fidgeting.

'Where do you come from?' asked Isra, whilst Meah just snuggled closer to Kel, sucking on her thumb.

'I…' Kel was unsure what to say. 'Far away,' she said finally.

'Further than Dundine town?' the girl asked interestedly, her eyes alight.

'Yes,' said Kel quietly, 'further than Dundine.' This answer seemed to satisfy Isra, because she nodded knowledgeably.

'Will you tell me a story?' Hal asked pleadingly. 'You must know some different ones to Mama or Papa.'

Kel was about to search for a reason not to tell a story, when she realised that for the first time in a week, she'd got through twenty minutes without thinking about Idan. She reflected that it was like when she was staying at Fanche's house; the busier she was, the easier it was to deal with things. After all, she admitted painfully, Alex was right; things got better in time, no matter how long it took.

'Have you heard the tale of the Lioness?' She asked, remembering how popular that story had proved in the slave barracks.

The three children shook their heads emphatically.

'Well it goes something like this…' started Kel.

When Jacqui arrived back, the first thing she spotted was the poorly wiped table, still spotted with milk. Then she looked beyond the kitchen into the open-plan living room. Kel was sitting with Meah curled up on her lap, and at her feet listening attentively were Isra and Hal. Kel was speaking quietly, occasionally using her hands to make a gesture that aided her narration.

Looking at Kel now, Jacqui saw the faintest glimmer of the girl Alex had told her about. The girl who would fight for justice no matter how futile the attempt, the girl who was driven, athletic, skilful and the girl whom Alex regarded as a sister.

Jacqui realised that she had been right to try and draw Kel out of her shell. Her plan had been simple; to let Kel try to connect with Meah, who had the sweetest temperament of any two year old that Jacqui had ever met. The rest had followed like a dream; Kel was interacting, bonding with her three children. Jacqui coughed involuntarily, attracting the attention of her four young charges. As the cough subsided, Jacqui thought; _It's just as well…_

'Mama!' Called out Hal. 'Kel's been telling us about the Lioness. She's a lady knight and slays all sorts of monsters.' He jumped up and mimed swinging a sword at an imaginary foe.

Jacqui laughed and scooped up her son, swinging him high in the air, before setting him down again.

'But how'd you _know _that the Lioness is real?' Isra demanded, 'Some of Daddy's stories are made up, he told me so.'

'Because…because my friend has seen her.'

'Your friend _saw_ her?' breathed Isra, awe etched into every feature of her face. 'Wow.'

'What did she look like?'

'Everything like the legend says,' replied Kel. 'He said that she was short, with fiery red hair and bright purple eyes.'

'People don't have purple eyes,' pointed out Isra.

'The Lioness does,' Kel assured her.

'Promise?' asked the distrustful seven-year old.

'I promise.'

'Why don't you two go off and play for a bit?' suggested Jacqui, and before they could protest she said, 'If you're good, I'm sure Kel will tell you some more of the story later.'

The two children hurried off, arguing over who would play the Lioness and who would be a monster.

Meah still clung to Kel and Kel stroked her blonde curls absentmindedly.

'They're good kids,' said Kel quietly.

'That they are,' agreed Jacqui.

They sat in silence for several minutes, the two older females lost in their troubled thoughts and little Meah sat between them, oblivious to all the world's troubles. Kel was looking down at the peaceful child and thought how fortunate Meah was; to not have to worry about things, just to be looked after and shielded from evil and injustice. _But how long will her life remain carefree? _Thought Kel. _Not long enough… and when war comes to Scanra? _

The sleepy girl reminded her that things were still worth fighting for; even if it just meant ensuring that the next generation grew up in a better Scanra than there was at the moment.

'Thanks,' Kel whispered quietly to Jacqui.

The woman didn't question her, seeming to understand what Kel meant, and instead said; 'Sometimes you just need a little reminding that there are still good things left here, no matter how bleak things look.'

A few tears slid down Kel's cheeks. Meah reached up a podgy hand and clumsily wiped them away, gazing up at Kel with concerned adoration on her face.

'I think you've gained an admirer,' said Jacqui amused, as Meah protested being removed from Kel's lap by her mother.

'I think I'll just go for a short walk,' said Kel quietly.

Jacqui land a hand on Kel's shoulder. 'Say your goodbyes and then move on,' she advised. 'We've only got a set amount of time in the realms of the living; don't waste yours in grief or regret.'

Kel nodded and exited the house. She felt the warm summer sun on her face once more. It was the same sun that shone down when Idan was alive, the same sun that shone when she was a page and even the same sun that shone down when she was in the Yamani Islands…Kel reflected that despite how ever much she'd changed, how ever much she'd been through, the sun remained constant. _Some things never change, _she thought. _And some things never will. But there are some things that need to be changed, things that must be changed. And by the Goddess I hope that I'll have the strength to tell the difference. _

Sighing, Kel made her way a short way down the garden, to the same place where she had first discovered the news of Idan's death and looking out across the garden she allowed herself to cry for Idan one last time.

There were still things that she needed to do. There were still people that needed saving, still injustices to fight; there were still things that she wanted to do before she joined Idan in the Dark god's realms.

Kel waited for the involuntary sobs to subside before drying her tears with a promise that it would be the last time she shed tears for that boy with black messy hair, dancing blue eyes, for the boy who had come to mean so much to her.

* * *

'Aargh!' Kel exclaimed in mock outrage as cool water splashed across her shirt. 

Hal and Isra giggled; their voices carrying across the still summer air.

'Right!' Kel leapt up and chased the two screaming children across the lawn. From her seat on the bank Jacqui watched with a smile on her face as Kel chased her two oldest children. Meah lay next to Jacqui, snoozing lightly in the warm of the late summer's afternoon.

Jacqui found it hard to believe how much Kel had changed in the few short weeks that she'd been staying with them. From a sullen, sickly girl, Kel had recovered her health and was beginning to put on some weight.

Kel was obviously a natural with young children and Isra, Hal and Meah all adored her. As Jacqui watched, Kel caught Hal, scooping the wriggling child into her arms. She then held Hal out over the small pond, dangling him so that his feet touched the cool water. Hal squealed merrily and tried to kick the water so that Kel got even wetter.

Kel lurched backward onto the grassy lawn and swung the boy about so that his legs flew out in a circle behind him.

'I want a go,' demanded Isra. Kel put Hal down and swung Isra round, thoroughly aware of how weak her arms felt. Dizzy Kel put the seven-year old down and sat down heavily. Immediately the two kids jumped on her, pinning her to the ground.

'Surrender!' Isra giggled.

'Alright,' said Kel, 'you've got me.'

Laughing happily the two siblings ran away across the grass, chasing each other gaily. Meah, having woken up, tottered over to her older brother and sister.

Kel stood up slowly, smiling and made her way over to sit next to Jacqui.

'Don't you just wish that days like this would go on forever?' asked Jacqui, surveying her offspring with motherly pride.

Kel murmured her agreement.

'They really like you,' remarked Jacqui.

Kel didn't know what to say. Ever since that day three weeks previously, when Kel had helped Meah to drink her milk, the children had hero-worshipped Kel. They were constantly showing her things, seeking her approval in the way that small children will.

Jacqui coughed; something that Kel had noticed her doing more often.

'Are you alright?' asked Kel, thinking that it was unusual to have a cold in the summer.

For a moment Jacqui didn't answer her, but stared out across the farmland that she and her husband owned. In the distance she could see their forty-strong herd of goats, tended by Eron.

'Kel, I'm not going to lie to you. You don't deserve that.' She sighed heavily. 'A year or two ago, when I'd just given birth to Meah, I developed a disease; one that's slowly eating away at my lungs.'

'Have you seen a healer?' asked Kel concernedly. 'I'm sure that Alex knows a good one…'

Jacqui paused before saying, 'There's nothing any healer can do for me.'

Kel's heart sped up; surely Jacqui couldn't be saying what Kel thought she was?

'I'm dying Kel.'

The statement hit Kel like a punch in her chest; not another person who was going to be ripped away from her…

'I'm not scared of dying,' continued Jacqui when Kel didn't say anything. 'But I'm terrified for my children. I look at them now and wonder if they'll still laugh like that when I'm gone. I'm worried for Eron. We've loved each other since childhood and I don't know how well he's going to cope…'

'Have you talked to him about it?' asked Kel, her voice hoarse.

'A couple of times, but he doesn't like to discuss it.'

'How do you tell your children that you've got to leave them?' asked Jacqui, her voice cracking. 'Hal and Meah couldn't possibly understand…'

Kel laid a hand upon the older woman's arm. 'Your friends won't abandon you…'

'Kel I want you make me a promise, promise me that my children will be okay. That'll you'll be there for them when the time comes.'

'I don't know if I'll still be here…'

'Kel I really don't have that long left; the cough gets worse everyday and the healer said that I'll deteriorate rapidly.'

Kel saw the desperation in Jacqui's eyes.

'Promise me that my children will be looked after.' Demanded Jacqui, her eyes slightly wild, gripping Kel's arm even tighter still.

'I promise,' said Kel thickly.

'Thank you,' whispered Jacqui, loosening her hold on Kel's arm.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Jacqui got up and motioned for Kel to follow. With a glance at the three children that were playing in harmony, Jacqui went inside.

She opened a small cupboard in the hallway, where the brooms were kept and from inside drew a leather scabbard. She handed it to Kel wordlessly. Kel accepted it with slightly trembling hands.

Around the sheath was wrapped Kel's necklace of jade that had been a Midwinter gift from Alex all those months ago. Without speaking, Kel drew the sword, exposing it's polished blade. The sword fit naturally into her hand as though it hadn't been five months since she'd last handled it.

'Alex told me to give it to you when you were ready.'

'Does Alex know…about you?' Kel asked, still not taking her eyes off of the blade.

'Yes,' sighed Jacqui. 'I think it may be one of the reasons why he wants you to stay here whilst you recover.' She examined Kel's expressionless face. 'It doesn't take a genius to work out that you're something special Kel,' she said slowly. 'I know you'll take good care of Isra, Hal and Meah.'

Kel bowed her head, accepting the compliment. She then sheathed her sword again and strapped it to her waist, over the top of her shirt and breeches. Kel then fastened the jade necklace around her neck.

Without saying another word Kel left the house and headed into the barn, energy flooding through her system. In the coolness of the empty barn she drew her sword once more, and nerves thrumming, bought the blade up to the "guard" position.

She twisted the sword in a movement that took it sideways, up and then back down to it's starting position. Her muscles recognised the familiar movement. Heart beating fast, Kel tried another move. Although her muscles felt stiff, she moved through the movements fluently, her body remembering hours of practise with a heavy, long stick.

The sword slid through the air in a way that her makeshift weapon back on the plantation never could. She did a simple drill and managed to complete it, only making one small mistake.

The movements weren't as fast or as smooth as they had once been, but it was still there; she still had that connection with the sword. Smiling with the joy of being reunited with the thing that she did best; Kel put her body through as many different drills as she could remember.

Her practise session didn't last long, in fact it was less than fifteen minutes before her arm ached and she was breathing hard. It was painfully obvious that she needed to improve her fitness, but it was a _start. _

She sheathed the sword in its scabbard. Also hanging off of the belt were two small knives, in plain leather sheaves. Kel checked both of their blades before returning to the house.

'Wow!' exclaimed Isra, her keen eyes immediately spotting the addition to Kel's attire.

'Where'd you get a _sword _from?' asked Hal, his eyes alight with interest.

'A friend left it for me,' said Kel offhandedly.

'Can you fight with it?' asked Isra in awe.

Kel nodded.

'Wow,' breathed the children.

'Have you ever _killed_ anyone?' asked Hal interestedly.

'_Hal!_' Jacqui intervened sharply.

'Sorry Ma,' he tried his best to look apologetic.

'Go and find Meah for me,' instructed Jacqui, not looking up from her stitching.

Hal left. 'Well have you?' asked Isra quietly.

Kel met the young girl's eyes, 'Yes. But they were bad people.' It wasn't a lie, thought Kel, as she remembered the man who had been prepared to murder the whole of Vishnaucht's family. But then she thought of the slave fighters who hadn't wanted to be at the battle any more that Kel had wanted to... _It was kill or be killed, _she thought firmly.

'That's alright then,' said Isra matter-of-factly. 'Bad people deserve to be punished.'

_Yes they do. _Thought Kel savagely, wishing that she could give Maggur the punishment for what he had done to Scanra and her people.

* * *

The next morning Kel woke slightly earlier than usual, and helped herself to a breakfast of nutrient-rich milk and a thick slice off bread. Licking the last few crumbs from her fingers, she walked up the path to the field where Eron was watching his flock. 

'Morning,' she called when she was within earshot of the goatherd.

She walked over and seated herself on the dry ground, near to where Eron sat sharpening a pair of hoof-trimmers.

'Jacqui told me yesterday,' said Kel awkwardly, 'about her lungs…'

'Oh aye,' said Eron, not looking up from his work, although his hands had slipped involuntarily on the sharpening stone.

'I was thinking that maybe, if you let me watch the goats for you, then you'd be able to spend more time with your family…' said Kel.

Eron looked up at her.

'It's just, well, I like being out of doors, and I can find things to do out here. I'm sure the kids would love you to be around more,' she gabbled. 'I mean not that you don't spend enough time with them.' Kel took a breath trying to collect her thoughts. 'You should try and enjoy every hour you've got left with her. Things never last forever,' she said quietly, 'you've just got to enjoy things while you can, before they're gone for good.'

Eron saw the pain in her eyes and was surprised by the wisdom with which she spoke.

'Very well then,' he said. 'You'll need to keep an eye on the goats. Make sure that none of them wander off. Watch out for any lame goats, they're prone to foot rot in this weather.'

Kel nodded and stretched her legs out in front of her.

'I'll be back at lunch time,' said Eron and he walked back to the house and his young family.

When he had gone, Kel sighed with relief and surveyed her new charges that cropped happily at the dry, tough grass. She looked up at the brilliant blue sky; it was going to be another hot day in Scanra.

She stood up and began to stretch, gradually easing up muscles, tendons and ligaments that had grown stiff from inactivity. She twisted, jumped and turned in what was a slightly longer version of her normal warm up exercises.

Finally to finish the warm up, she flipped herself over as Alex had once taught her, landing lightly on her feet, panting hard, but feeling better physically than she had done for a long time.

Once she had got her breath back, Kel slid her sword from its scabbard, watching the sun glint brightly off of it's blade. She scanned the field, her keen eyes checking that there were still thirty-eight goats grazing in the field before beginning to practise.

Kel practised until she doubled up, hardly able to breathe. She had a stitch in her side and her breath came in short painful gasps. She bent over, trying to recover her breath. When the pain eased, Kel sat down in the shade of a bush and wiped her forehead. She lay back and stared up at the sky, squinting her eyes against the bright morning light.

Regaining her fitness was not going to be a pleasant process. It was extremely irritating for her practice session to be limited by her lack of stamina. She wanted to run through drill after drill for hours, honing and perfecting her technique so that she could join Alex in the fight against Maggur as quickly as possible. Unfortunately her body was going to take a while longer to build itself back up.

She propped herself up on her elbows and surveyed the peaceful goats. One of the smaller goats approached her warily. Kel stood up and went over to the goat, offering her hands out for the goat to sniff. Initially the kid shied away, but then allowed Kel to pat it. When Kel rubbed it's back, it closed it's eyes in an expression of bliss.

As Kel fussed over the goat, she checked all of the other goats with her eyes; determined that nothing was going to happen to the flock whilst she was watching over them.

The young goat grew tired of the attention and wandered away, leaving Kel to try to find the comfiest place to sit. She hummed a tune quietly to herself; one of the ones that she had learnt at the plantation.

Deciding that sitting in the field was a waste of time; Kel stood up and began to jog around the perimeter of the field. She managed one lap before needing to stop to regain her breath. She looked at the short distance she had covered and was horrified by her lack of endurance. Kel sat down again, massaging her lower calf muscles and vowed to run an extra lap of the field everyday until Alex returned.

The hours slipped past with Kel exercising sporadically, or singing to herself to pass the time. She didn't get bored; it was peaceful to be by herself with just the goats for company.

When the sun hung at it's highest in the sky Kel saw five figures making their way up the track towards her.

'We thought that we'd have a picnic with you,' Jacqui informed her.

Eron smiled down at his wife, his expression full of love. Meah, who sat on her father's shoulders squealed in delight as Eron sat down, causing the little girl to rock and sway as her seat adjusted himself on the ground.

Hal and Isra settled themselves on either side of Kel, simultaneously bursting into chatter about how they'd baked biscuits that morning and played with their Pa. Jacqui set about laying a simple picnic on a blanket before them, smiling happily at her children's enthusiasm.

For a moment Kel thought of her own parents; where were they and what were they doing? Had they gone back to the Yamani Isles? Did they miss her?

Kel missed her mother especially, but as Kel watched the family interacting around her Kel wondered if her family had ever laughed together like that when she was younger. Since they had been living in the Yamani isles, Kel had rarely seen her parents smile –they'd adopted the Western ways all too quickly.

Kel also wondered if they'd ever had family picnics when she was Meah's age, but there had always been such an age gap between her, the youngest and Anders, the eldest who had already been seventeen when she was born. Kel had never been particularly close to any of her sisters either, but watching Hal and Isra take care of Meah, she wondered wistfully what it would've been like if she had grown up on friendly terms with Oranie or Adalia.

Unexpectedly she thought of Alex, and despite having only known him for a year how he was closer to her than her own blood siblings. Kel wondered briefly if she'd ever have the courage to tell him about her past.

She was pulled out her musings by the present, and the sounds and sights of joy and laughter. Kel speculated vaguely later on as to why the Yamanis hid their emotions, when sharing them could bring about such enjoyment and contentment.

The happiness of the family was contagious and Kel found herself laughing along with them for the rest of the afternoon. When the evening came she told stories and played with Hal, Isra and Meah until she was dead on her feet.

Exhausted, but happier than she'd been for a good long while, Kel fell asleep.

* * *

(**-a/n-** So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed it as it took me an awfully long while to write and I've been neglecting all of the work that I should be doing. If I fail my exam tomorrow they it's all your fault! Lol. Fanfiction is way better than revision :P 

Next chapter you'll find out a bit more about what Alex and Rhonda have been up to. Hehe! Kel is back fighting and isn't Meah just the cutest:D –smiles happily- imagine the cutest blonde two year old that you can and that's Meah :P )

Please leave a review; you know how much I love them!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	36. Harvest festival

**(-a/n- **I'm so sorry, this chapter has been half-written for over a week, but I could never find enough time to sit down and finish it…Anyway, it's done now, and hopefully I'll get another chapter up next weekend ;D

Also **citrusfruit **is making me a cover for Fallen, which is exciting :D Um…yeah that's all I've got to say…

Thanks to all these lovely people below, I loved every one of your reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy this fic.

**Peacegirl, ****brezzybrez****amitai****Aly-Of-Tortall13****Emmalia****chair-chan****NotAfraidToLive****Alanna is My Hero****Bradhadair fire starter****F75****neverlife****, Kiley 1 09, ****milky way bar****SaoirseWaveglow****katiebug123****Evil Bunny of Death****Horseluvr13****Uncertian Destiny****Lady Zarobiti****abyssgirl****WannaBeGreen****13.shimer.13****kgwoozle****Die Grosse Heldin von Lyoko****, Shang Leopard, ****Shulamit****, MysticMoonEmpress, ****rootless californian****PsychoLioness****Drunken Little Monkey****killing u with umbrellas****Erytha****stardust718****MoonGoddessBookworm****, CatBeto, ****Sheba244****, Nikki, ****seven3eight****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****On top of cloud 9****Jaden Scorpio****oirishgoddess****The Shang Kudarung****jesi ki kage****SabbyRinaBanina****, Purple Book Worm, ****RefurAG****Golden23****K.D. Rai****.yashamew****Lady Mage****Forget Me Not Blue****Yabberli****, Jassa, Me, ****SavingSaturn****, Eternityfalls, ****berndi****Eclipsa****, The knights who until recently said Ni, ****Mint Tea Rose****ThJaFl****, gems, ****Brokenflamesrebel****Night-Player****Fariy Lights****Hisshou****Cheeseycraziness****Magickless Sorceress****Krae Z. Rokke****JaBoyYa****Hasamaki****youdontwant2no****SOPROL****Irish Ninja Chick****Erynfaer****Lady Knight Keladry****theknightofkonaha****filly8****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****writer wanted****lady kight jacky cullen****, Hunchbook, ****Pie of Doomeh****seekerchick06****, qoh, ****Da Lady Vitch****Elementalmoon****Skyline Romance****princessofcrown101****emerald lady****Cede****elfie-may****epobbp****fairydust000****SarahE7191****BlackWidow12****, Pepper Lemon, ****IkarusCazadores****untamedspiral****, Love.Always.Alice.and.Jasper, ****mountainelements****d.e.f.y.i.n.g.g.r.a.v.i.t.y05, ****PolkaDotFeathers****hahaheeheehaha**** & ****skyflyte12**

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

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Upsweep, swipe down and out, jab, rotate and back to the centre again. Kel's limbs performed the drill effortlessly, her kinaesthetic senses feeling the movement rather than consciously following the pattern.

She heard footfalls on the dry earth and spun to face Jacqui, sheathing her sword in one smooth movement.

'What're you doing out here,' Kel asked concernedly. 'You should be resting.'

'Nonsense,' replied Jacqui, 'I've done nothing but rest these past few days.' Kel looked as though she were about to argue, so Jacqui quickly said; 'Eron was hoping you could go over to Redroc and fetch the scythe blade that he sent to be repaired.'

'The goats-'

'Will be perfectly fine under my care,' Jacqui interrupted.

'You're meant to be _resting_,' Kel reminded the older woman.

'It's not exactly a strenuous activity. I'll be fine. Go on, off you go.' She shooed Kel away, coughing.

Jacqui's chesty coughs followed Kel as she made her way up the path towards the cottage. She hesitated, turning back to look at the sick woman, but Jacqui motioned that she was fine. Kel sighed and continued up the path, shaking her head slightly.

'You can take Dusty if you want,' offered Eron as Kel entered the farmyard. 'It's only a five minute ride to Redroc.'

Kel nodded and collected the grey pony from the lean-to stable. Flinging the saddle onto his small back she kneed the pony in his ribs, forcing him to exhale the breath that he'd been holding so she could tighten the girth.

Eron chuckled at the disapproving look on the pony's face. 'She's seen that one before,' he told the pony as Kel swung herself onto it's dappled grey back.

'Come on boy,' Kel murmured under her breath as she checked the saddle and adjusted her seat. Squeezing gently with her legs she persuaded the lazy pony to head off down the lane.

'See you later on' Eron called after her, returning to his work.

Kel waved at Isra, Hal and Meah as she passed, and all three of them stopped their game to wave back. Smiling, Kel kicked the small pony into a trot, guiding it up the path and over the hill into the next valley. The mountain pony was sure-footed and together they negotiated their way down the steep path that led into Redroc.

She had only been to the village three times before. It consisted of no more than six buildings cluttered together as the majority of the villagers lived in the homesteads that lay scattered across the Dundine hills.

Most families grew their own food; potatoes and such like, and Kel was surprised at how self-sufficient a small village like Redroc could be. Wool from the goats and sheep were used to make items of clothing, as were the cotton flaxes that were grown on lower pastures. Leather from the hides of cows supplied the tanner, allowing him to make shoes, reins and saddles, whilst the meat and milk from the large animals went towards feeding the people.

A family who possessed the healing gift grew herbs and spices to make medicines for common illnesses, and assisted at the birthing of the village's mothers, as well as aiding at a difficult lambing or calving.

On this market day the rowdy voices of the village people rung out loud across the green, laced with the thick accent of the hills-people. Villagers of all shapes and sizes milled about, tending to chat rather than discuss business. Every now and again raucous peals of laughter sounded from where the ladies of the village gossiped in the shade of a house. Kel blended into the scene; dressed as they were in simple clothing, her hair loose, only the sword that hung at her hip indicated that she was anything other than an ordinary village girl.

Kel wove in and out of the people, declining a pastry that a small boy was trying to sell her, searching for the smithy.

It had not been this busy the last time Kel had been here, but today was the day before the Harvest began. Kel had learnt that the "Harvest" was a weeklong festival, celebrating the good fortunes of the people that year. Everyone, young and old would help to bring in the produce and in the evenings they would all feast together around large bonfires telling stories and singing.

The excitement that Kel could sense amongst the villagers was identical to the way Hal and Isra had been all week; evidently this was an extremely important part of the villager's calendar. Indeed, Jacqui had taken measurements for Kel only the other day, saying that Kel would need something to wear on the final night of the festival.

Spotting the blacksmith's she tethered Dusty to a post and ducked into the shop, blinking and straining her eyes, trying to see in the sudden darkness.

'And what may I do for you, this fine harvest's eve?' said the blacksmith jovially, wiping his massive hands on his sooty overalls.

'Have you got the scythe blade?' asked Kel, 'Eron sent me to fetch it.'

'Aye, I know the one,' said the man, producing a dirty, but sharp-looking blade from beneath a counter.

Kel handed the man the coins that he asked for, and left the shop, carrying the purchase carefully.

* * *

The first day of the Harvest dawned bright and early, the sky a crystal blue which was a good omen according to Eron. After a hurried breakfast the entire family piled out to the fields to bring in the harvest. The goats were left in the shed; for now the most important task was to bring in the vegetables and hay before the weather turned sour. 

Jacqui, her lungs worse than ever, was forced to watch as the harvesting began. It was immensely frustrating for her to have to sit and observe everyone else at work; she felt useless, and not for the first time she thanked the Goddess for Alex's insight and kindness at leaving Kel with her family.

Meah, whose initial interest at scrabbling in the dirt to dig up potatoes had vanished, toddled over to join her mother, helping to remove the negative thoughts from Jacqui's mind.

Kel worked constantly, using muscles that she had built up over her days at the plantation. She knelt on the hard earth and plunged her hands into the soil over and over to bring up the muddy vegetables that would see the family through the rest of the year.

Despite it being early autumn, it was still hot under the rays of the Scanran sun and sweat trickled down Kel's back. Her arms, exposed by sleeves rolled up were more tanned than ever, giving her an appearance more similar to someone from the Yamani isles than Tortall.

As she worked, Kel let her mind wonder, her thoughts occasionally drifting to her homeland and the people that she'd left behind. Her own memories of Tortall seemed unreal, as though the person she was then and now were two different people, separated by the things that she had experienced. Even her memory of people's faces was beginning to fade. She could still envision her parents, but it was though she were viewing them through a thin veil, a picture not quite in focus.

Sighing to herself, Kel shook her head, and focused on the dirt beneath her hands, the dirt that had jammed itself under her fingernails and smeared itself all over her clothes. Scanran dirt. The dirt that people had fought over for centuries..._The dirt that people still fight over today, _thought Kel. _Alex doesn't fight for dirt, _she mused _he fights for the people, not the land in which they live. _

Something rained down on Kel's back and she turned around, pulled out of her wonderings. She shook her head and clods of soil fell out of her hair. She glanced around to where Isra and Hal were suddenly very busy digging. Kel turned back to her work, pretending to absorb herself once more. Hands working mechanically Kel glanced over, just in time to see Isra flinging a clod of mud at her younger brother. Hal squealed and retaliated, his small hands grasping at a handful of loose dirt, flinging it wildly into the air. Dust and small stones blew in Kel's direction, landing on her breeches.

'Isra, Hal, stop that now,' commanded their mother. 'You're getting Kel covered.'

Kel didn't mind; the young cries of laughter were welcome reminders that she wasn't back at the plantation. Even though they weren't living a life of luxury, Kel was reminded how lucky Jacqui's children were, to be able to play and laugh like that, rather than being worked to death as slaves, or forced to beg on the streets.

When they stopped for lunch, water was gulped down by everyone, and a loaf of bread was shared out. The afternoon disappeared in a haze of mud and sweat, Kel helping Eron to shift the sacks of potatoes that they had gathered to the barn. Once that field was complete, the family headed home, to wash the dirt from their faces and hands.

Shortly afterwards, Meah perched happily on Kel's shoulders, and Hal on Eron's they made their way up the twisty path and down into Redroc. They walked at a slow pace to allow for Jacqui's lungs and Isra's short legs.

When they entered the village they were greeted by several families as Eron found them a spot by one of the crackling bonfires. Jacqui took some of their freshly harvested potatoes to contribute towards the evening meal and set about helping the other ladies of the village to prepare the harvest meal.

Despite Kel's offer to do the cooking, Jacqui insisted. She had been doing nothing all day and if this would be her last harvest, then she would at least perform the role of the woman of the house. Isra tagged along to watch her mother, dreaming of the day when she would be allowed to cook the harvest meal.

Kel meanwhile, took the opportunity to look around at the other fifty or so people that had gathered for the celebrations. She recognised the blacksmith that she had met the previous day, as well as a family who owned the farm next to Eron's.

As the festivities began, Kel joined in with the singing, quickly picking up any folk songs that she did not know. She danced happily around the fire, one hand holding on to Isra, the other tucked inside the large, callused hand of a boy that looked to be slightly older than herself.

The songs were all ones of celebration and thanks, praising the gods for a bountiful year; quite different to the songs of desperation and hope that had been sung at the slave plantation. Somebody sitting at the neighbouring fire had a fiddle and was accompanying the singers, as were several young men on hand-made drums.

The villagers danced until the food was served and the rich smell of stew and mashed potato hung heavy in the air.

'Is this your first harvest celebration?' asked the blonde boy sitting next to Kel.

Kel nodded. 'I'm Jacqui's cousin from up north.'

'How long you gonna be staying?' he asked through a mouthful of food.

Kel shrugged, wondering herself when Alex would come back to fetch her. She had been staying with Jacqui for over two months now, and her fitness was back up to a good standard. Every day since her sword had been returned to her Kel had practised relentlessly and had run laps of the field until she could barely stand upright.

'I'm Rhyan,' he introduced himself, after a moment's hesistation.

'Kel.'

They finished the meal in silence, listening to the happy banter of the families around them. Rhyan glanced nervously at Kel, who sat staring into the fire, her thoughts a thousand miles from where her body was.

'Would you like to dance?' asked the boy, stumbling slightly over the words.

'Um…pardon?' asked Kel, blinking in surprise.

'Would you like to dance?' repeated the boy, blushing slightly.

It was only then that Kel noticed everyone else seemed to be getting up, leaving the empty plates of food by the fire.

'Um…okay,' replied Kel, getting unsteadily to her feet and following the taller boy away from the fires to where everyone was assembling. 'I'm not a very good dancer,' Kel warned him.

'Neither am I,' smiled Rhyan shyly.

The fiddler struck the first note and everyone paired off. Kel had lost sight of Jacqui and Eron, but she could see Hal and Isra jiggling around, ready to dance. The fiddler and drummers began to play and Kel just had time to register the tones of a lute, before she was pulled into the dance.

It took her a minute or so of treading on Rhyan's feet before she got the hang of the dance. It involved a series of small steps, followed by one large one forwards and then a small backwards step and a turn.

Rhyan, who had obviously danced the same dances since he could first walk, lead her surprisingly well and no major catastrophe occurred.

'Relax,' he murmured. 'You're actually quite a good dancer.'

The next song proved to be more of a challenge, as the fast tempo meant that Kel had to move her feet much quicker in time to the rhythm. Fortunately for Kel, hours of working on her quick footwork for fencing, meant that she was generally quite lithe on her feet and only got tangled up in Rhyan a couple of times.

Halfway through the evening Rhyan dragged her off to meet his friends.

'This is Kahleb and Siana,' he introduced a blonde couple who seemed to be a couple of years older than Kel.

'You should come over to the village more often,' drawled Kahleb. 'I can imagine that it gets quite boring with just children for company.'

'Not really,' said Kel stiffly, not caring for his tone of voice.

Kahleb shrugged.

'And this is Pieter and Dreuw,' Rhyan introduced two identical twin boys, both of whom looked to be about eleven.

Kel looked around at the unlikely group; she would never have expected these people to have been friends. Arrogant Kahleb, Siana hanging on his every word, shy Rhyan and the sulky, secretive twins. _Maybe "friends" is too strong a word, _thought Kel, _if these are the only people their age in the village then they would have no choice but to associate with each other. _

'So where are you from?' asked Siana.

'The north,' replied Kel evasively.

'We don't normally see people with brown hair around here,' remarked Kahleb.

Kel shrugged awkwardly. The last time she had looked her hair had been more blonde than brown, having been bleached by the strong summer sun, but compared the almost white-blonde hair of most Scanrans, she supposed her hair classified as 'brown.'

'My mother was Yamani,' she invented. 'She was the daughter of a merchant.'

'So where've you been living?' asked Kahleb in a bored tone of voice. 'Hillover? I travelled there once with my father.'

'No,' replied Kel, 'I've lived in all sorts of places. Most recently Hamrkeng.'

'Wow!' breathed Dreuw. 'We've never been anywhere further than Pillerscroft.'

Kahleb, who seemed to dislike not being the centre of attention, interrupted;

'As fascinating as this conversation might be Siana and I are going to dance.' And, hand in hand with Siana he swaggered off.

Rhyan looked anxiously at Kel, as though worried that she would be impressed by Kahleb's manner.

Kel, on the other hand, couldn't care less what Kahleb was doing; she was scanning the crowd for Jacqui and Eron. Spotting them, she waved and Jacqui beckoned her over.

'It looks like I've got to go.' Turning to Rhyan she said, 'Thanks for a nice evening,' before slipping away into the night.

Eron led the way home with a flaming torch, taken from the bonfire. Hal and Isra were dead on their feet, and Meah was sound asleep in Eron's arms. Kel gave Hal a piggy back for most of the way home and as soon as they arrived back at the little cottage, they all went straight to bed, in preparation for another day of harvesting.

* * *

On the third day of the harvest festival, the family finished early, thanks to hard work on Kel's behalf. Over half the harvesting was done, with another four days still to go of the festival. 

Once Kel had washed her hands, she asked Jacqui;

'Do you mind if I head over to Redroc early? I promised to meet Rhyan…'

'Go ahead,' smiled Jacqui.

And so, her arms and back still aching from the day's labours, Kel jogged doggedly over the hill and down into the neighbouring valley.

One of the farms she came to on the eastern side of the valley belonged to Rhyan and his family. The previous evening he had told her that he had two older, grown up sisters, both of whom had moved away to different villages, so Rhyan stood to inherit the farm and follow his father's footsteps as a sheep farmer.

When Kel entered the yard, she found Rhyan flailing a staff around in the air, duelling an imaginary foe. She almost laughed, but caught herself just in time.

'Hey,' she called. 'What are you doing?'

Rhyan jumped and dropped his weapon, spinning around to face her.

'Oh,' he blushed. 'Hello Kel.'

'What're you doing?' repeated Kel, walking towards him.

'Practising for tonight,' he said, picking up the staff sheepishly. 'I'm not very good, but my old man says, _If you never give something a go then you can never hope to succeed_.

'Give what a go?' asked Kel.

'Tonight's competition, the staff fighting,' explained Rhyan. 'It always happens on the third night of the festival.'

'Can anyone take part?' asked Kel, taking the staff and examining it idly.

'Yeah I think so,' said Rhyan, confused. 'Normally one of the older men win,' he sighed. 'Although this year everyone reckons Kahleb will win it.' He glanced quickly at Kel, as though checking for a reaction.

'Really…' mused Kel, thinking back to the previous evening, an idea forming in her mind…

The previous evening whilst the group had been chatting, Kel hadn't been impressed with the way that Kahleb snubbed Rhyan all the time. Rhyan's shyness didn't mean that he was slow, or worth any less than the other members of their group, but Kahleb walked all over Rhyan, and Kel didn't hate anything more than people who believed other people to be inferior to themselves.

She handed the staff back to her friend.

'Try holding it like this,' she suggested, gently moving Rhyan's hands further apart. 'Now move this leg…' she moved his leg until he had a more balanced stance. Rhyan held the staff awkwardly.

'Now try again,' coaxed Kel.

'What's the point?' said the boy dispiritedly, 'I'm never going to be a warrior like Kahleb. I'm going to be a farmer, and live my whole life working the land and it's creatures.'

Kel shrugged. 'Then it doesn't matter if you're bad, just have a go anyway.'

'But what if I want to be good?' he asked plaintively. 'Kahleb is going to be a mighty warrior some day, earning glory and riches. And where will I be?'

'Here,' replied Kel. 'Growing the food that the mighty warriors eat, the food that the warriors would die without. Doesn't that make farming equally important as fighting?'

Rhyan sighed, still looking downhearted.

'Did you ever think that as a mighty warrior that you would harm and kill people?' asked Kel, trying to ignore the bloody memories of the battle in the Rokang pass. 'That your doing will see men maimed, killed, families ripped apart?'

Rhyan shook his head. Kel smiled, 'To me, farming seems like a very honourable occupation indeed.'

This time the shy boy smiled back at her, a proper smile.

'I'll see you later,' said Kel, needing some time alone.

She made her way out across the fields, past the villagers preparing for the night's festivities, until she came to a small coppice where she found some shade. Kel sat down, face in her hands, unsure of why the vivid memories had suddenly overwhelmed her.

It was the old argument. You could do all the good deeds you could, fighting for justice, but at the end of the day you had still killed people, taken someone's life. _And how do you ever make up for that? _Kel asked herself.

* * *

That evening after the food had been eaten and the songs sung, the men of the village gathered at the central fire, Kel among them. She received many questioning looks, but took up one of the staffs from the barrel and lined up all the same. 

The first two competitors stepped forward, and the first bout of the evening began. It was a messy fight that lasted for no more than about two minutes, before the brute strength of one man overwhelmed the other. As the second and third fights progressed it became apparent that none of the men of Redroc had ever been trained for combat. According to Alex, Dundine was not known for it's fighting prowess. The only reason why the clan had not yet been seized by Maggur was that it's populace was spread far and wide across the rolling hills, encompassing a huge area; one that would require a lot of men to bring under control.

When Kel's turn arrived, she found herself paired off with a man whom she didn't know. He looked apprehensively at her, unwilling to attack a girl. Kel made the first move, sending the staff around to land a firm blow on the man's weapon.

It was odd, after all of her hours working with a sword, at how different the longer weapon felt in her hands. She knew that though her swordplay was improving in leaps and bounds, her lack of practising with a staff would mean that any woman in the Eastern lands could trounce her easily with a glaive. Not that it mattered, Kel hoped that if she could become nearly as good as Alex, then it wouldn't matter that she was only proficient with one weapon.

The man took a swing at Kel, and she easily twisted her staff underneath his, wrenching it out of his grip. The man stood in shock for a minute before bowing to Kel and picking, up his staff he left the group of competitors.

There was near silence and Kel couldn't help but wonder if she'd been too hasty in her idea to enter the contest; women fighting obviously wasn't an idea these people were used to. Sighing to herself, Kel returned to the side to watch the next fight.

In the last bout, Kel watched Rhyan get beaten in a matter of seconds by Kahleb. Their numbers now halved, the victors all lined up for the second round.

This time, Kel's match lasted a little longer, the man's wild swings forcing her to duck and dodge more than before, but after blocking several of his strikes she swung the staff with uncanny accuracy, disarming her opponent.

The rounds that followed posed little problems to Kel, who couldn't help but feel that it was a mockery of the fighting she had seen in her time. Fighting like Alex did, so graceful quick and deadly that it was almost inhuman. Kel drew herself back to the present, thinking of Alex only made her long for him to return.

Soon only Kahleb and Kel remained in the competition. As Kel took to the floor once more it fell silent as it always did when she fought. Suddenly a small voice broke the quiet.

'Go on Kel,' shouted a young voice that Kel recognised as Hal's.

'Yeah, you can beat him Kel,' Isra joined in.

There was a moment's silence and then suddenly everyone had joined in, shouting his or her support for once of the finalists. Kel relaxed, this was how it should be, how it had been at Sekholm, with everyone getting behind the fighters, cheering them on. It was in keeping with the Scanran's love of sport and competition.

Kel faced the slightly taller Kahleb, her calm hazel eyes taking in his arrogant stance and smirk. He reminded her of someone, but at that moment Kel couldn't recall who.

When the signal went, Kahleb attacked first. He was fast, and Kel bought her defence up just in time, to ward off a blow that would've broken her collarbone. Pivoting so that she pushed his staff to the side, the boy was forced to take several steps back, allowing him to disengage the weapon and rebuild his defence.

Now it was Kel who attacked, her body dredging up memories of glaive work from long ago. She chopped in low and then jabbed at Kahleb, shoving him backwards. He stumbled but didn't fall, and responded in a series of whirlwind blows. Kel was cautious and blocked them all, but not yet seeking to gain an advantage.

She tested his skill level, wanting to find a flaw and or weakness. She almost got her staff in behind his for a move that would've disarmed him, but Kahleb realised what she was trying to do and twisted away. Their staffs locked and the arrogant boy, panting hard tried to use his superior weight to his advantage, bearing down on Kel.

Kel gritted her teeth and locked her arms, letting him know that she wasn't some delicate wallflower; she had acquired her muscle through hours of sweat and hard work.

'Give in,' panted the boy.

'Never,' replied Kel, twisting sharply, and throwing Kahleb off balance. She whipped the weapon down in improvised move similar to the one she had been practising with her sword. It struck the very tip of the boy's staff, creating a huge amount of leverage and the staff spun away, landing with a clatter before one of the fires.

Kel darted in, her staff at Kahleb's throat.

'Alright, alright,' said the boy sourly, shoving Kel away. 'You win.'

When she returned to her fire Jacqui and Eron congratulated her, whilst the three children leapt about ecstatically. Kel shrugged off of the praise, not feeling any sense of achievement at having beaten untrained fighters. When the hubbub of people around Kel had died down, Rhyan sidled over.

'You were amazing,' he breathed. 'I didn't think that anyone could beat Kahleb; he's so fast. But you, you were…' he was lost for words, admiration shining across his innocent face.

'I'm not great at staff work,' said Kel, 'but if you really want to get better, I could give you a few tips.'

'That would be…nice,' said Rhyan colouring, 'You could come over to the farm sometime.'

Kel nodded absentmindedly, watching Jacqui gathering up her excited children.

'We're going to be off now Kel,' said Eron, 'but you can stay here, I'm sure you can find your way back.'

'I'll walk her back,' volunteered Rhyan.

In all actuality Kel wanted to return with Jacqui and Eron, to escape from all of the praises, stares and questions that she had been receiving. However, not wishing to be rude, she agreed to stay for a little while longer.

She talked to Rhyan, discussing mundane things such as his farm, things he liked to do when he wasn't working, all learning more about the shy boy. When the conversation faltered, Kel announced that she was tired. He jumped up.

'I'll walk you home,' Rhyan said, helping Kel to her feet.

'It's alright,' said Kel, 'I can find my way back, you stay here and enjoy yourself.'

'But…'

'_Really,_' said Kel, 'I'll be fine.'

She made here way past the fires, squinting through the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low light levels. Kel was just beginning to make her way up the path that would lead over the hill when a pair of strong hands grabbed her from behind.

One arm was over her mouth, to prevent her from crying out, and the other was over her chest, pinning her arms down.

'I'll teach you to humiliate me like that,' growled an angry voice in her ear.

Kel struggled, managing to get one hand free. She reached behind her and gouged at her assailant's neck. Kel scrabbled, scratching at every piece of flesh she could reach. She then rammed her elbow into the attacker's stomach, causing him to release her.

Kel lurched away and turned to see Kahleb doubled over, in pain. Anger flooded through Kel's veins. She punched him in the face, feeling bones crunch beneath her fingers. Blood poured from Kahleb's nose.

'Don't you _ever_ touch me again,' hissed Kel.

His hands over his face, he glared at Kel with a look of intense hatred.

'Why would anyone want to touch a whore like you?' he spat, turning on his heel and fleeing into the night.

Kel stood for a moment, breathing heavily, before hurrying away into the darkness. _Joren, _she thought, _that's who he reminded me of._

_

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**(-a/n-** So what did you think of that? Please leave a review and you will get a quicker update. I've got lots planned for the next chapter, and in the chapter after that lots will be revealed about Kel and Alex ;D )

As always let me know what you thought; it doesn't take long!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	37. Into the west

**(-a/n-** Hello again! At least you've only had to wait a week for this update. Anyway, the very exciting piece of news for this week is that last Sunday night I sat on msn talking to my two best friends **elfie-may **and **citrusfruit **and together we masterminded a COVER FOR FALLEN!!!! Well, elfie-may and I masterminded it, whilst citrusfruit used her talents with adobe photoshop to put it together :D Anyway, the link is on my profile page, so please go and check it out and tell us what you thought of it :D I love it :D

Thanks to the wonderful review response, thank you so much, to each and everyone of you that is courteous enough to review, I love reading them so much, and they inspire me to update, no end.

Just to clear things up (again) I don't know how far I am through this story; every time I get a new idea it grows to dizzying lengths. I would say that I am coming up to about halfway…so about 40 done. As most of you will probably have guessed, I'm not going to stop the story when I reach the scene in chapter one, it will continue on. At the moment though, Kel is currently thirteen and a half years old. She left the palace two and a half years ago, and has been missing presumed dead, for almost two years ;D Okay:P

**13.shimer.13****LadyKnight44****hahaheeheehaha****soccer chick, K.D. Rai, abyssgirl, ilovekel, Cheeseycraziness, JaBoyYa, Love.Always.Alice.and.Jasper, Bookflower, SarahE7191, epobbp, Cede, Bradhadair fire starter, nightwisp, elfie-may, Sheba244, kitt t catte, Forget Me Not Blue, LadyKnightSusan, Horseluvr13, peddyviolin, Orohippus, oirishgoddess, Nikki, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, gaya2081, Yabberli, Golden23, RiverRebel, Book Readin' Vixen, filly8, SavingSaturn, Erynfaer, MoonGoddessBookworm, BookQn, seekerchick06, stoictimer, emerald lady, Me, killing u with umbrellas, Jaden Scorpio, tomboy, Skyline Romance, mountainelements, Michi, writer wanted, Lady Mage, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, Feed The Foxes, hamasaki, Venuspixie, Dreamwings, skyflyte12, youdontwant2no, mylovelyminion, milky way bar, NotAfraidToLive, Evil Bunny of Death, princessofcrown101, Transfiguration, Die Grosse Heldin von Lyoko, Pesche, Grace of Masbolle, Tink05, gems, seven3eight, DaughterofDeath, Lady Sapphirea, Erytha, SabbyRinaBanina, chariti, PlaidPanda543, Pie of Doomeh, BlackWidow12, The-Muse-In-Me,untamedspiral, PsychoLioness, seyyada, berndi, jesi ki kage, forbidden stars, EmpressOfPudding, stardust718, Hunchbook, JeanneAndHerAlters, Mystic Moon Empress, Jassa, Shang Leopard, Anzy, Uncertian Destiny, Tammy, The Sherberty Lemon, sillygoose2332, Da Lady Vitch, geka0taitsume0taikaiyou, Lady Knight Keladry, Enno Vy, The Shang Kudarung, clurr, littlefreeeagle, truffletruffle01, BlackCat & brezzybrez.**

**Opal-169** Well…in the first chapter I mentioned that Raoul won the joust, but Kel won the swordplay. And as you will find out in later chapters the main event of the King's tournament is the fencing :D Hope that clears it up.

**Confusedknight xxx**

Musical inspiration: "Into the West" by Annie Lennox - go listen on you tube!

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Rhyan watched his friend out of the corner of his eye. She sat with her back against an old oak tree, her knees curled protectively up against her chest. One arm was wrapped tightly around her knees, but the other hung limply at her side, the small scarred hand tugging distractedly at the wet grass beneath her fingers. His gaze rose to her pretty face, the face that was set in a slight frown, eyes troubled.

'Jacqui not good today?' he asked, breaking the long silence.

Kel shook her head almost imperceptively. They fell into silence again.

It began to rain, large heavy drops splashing down from the grey, stormy heavens.

'There'll be snow soon,' Rhyan remarked, taking his eyes off of Kel to peer up though the boughs of the oak tree.

The rain began to soak through his shirt and breeches but Rhyan made no move to leave Kel. He gazed at her in silence, watching the rain running in rivulets down her face. If Kel was crying, it was impossible to discern rain from tears.

'What can I do?' asked Kel, speaking for the first time in hours, her voice cracking. 'What can I do?' She buried her face in her knees and her whole body shook with sobs.

Confused, Rhyan hesitated, before crawling the short, muddy distance to Kel and slinging an arm around her small frame. Kel leaned into him, and he tightened his hold, rubbing her soaked frame comfortingly.

As he soothed Kel, he couldn't help but smile; after all these weeks of wanting to reach out and hold her, here she was, cradled in his arms. Maybe there was hope after all.

From the moment he had first seen Kel, Rhyan had been quite taken with her and at first he was afraid that she would favour Kahleb over him, but as the weeks went by he was the only one whom Kel would ever talk to. She occasionally spoke to the twins or Siana in passing, but since the third night of the harvest festival, Kel hadn't even acknowledged Kahleb's existence. Rhyan wasn't sure why this was, but he was extremely grateful.

Kel had become a very good friend. She always listened to him, and had a way of making him feel as though he were important; Kel never dismissed him as worthless like so many in the village had.

Kel pulled away and he reluctantly removed his arm from her shoulders.

'She's getting worse by the day,' whispered Kel, as though saying so out loud would be confirming it. 'The healers say that she only has a week or so left-' Kel broke off, her throat too tight to speak.

'How're the kids?' he asked, unable to find anything to say that could comfort Kel.

'Hal and Meah don't understand,' replied Kel in a choked voice. 'How could they? They're so young. But I think Isra does, and she's scared, she never wants to leave Jacqui's side…' Kel drew in a shuddering breath. 'I don't know what's going to happen when Jacqui dies…I'm scared,' she admitted quietly.

'The children are lucky to have you there to look after them,' said Rhyan awkwardly.

'But that's the thing,' Kel half wailed, 'I don't know how much longer I can stay here with them.'

Rhyan was taken aback. Kel had mentioned the first time that he met her that she was only staying for a while, but as the months had gone past, it had never become a reality.

'Don't leave,' he pleaded. 'You have to stay.'

'I can't,' said Kel almost inaudibly. 'I don't belong here.'

'You do,' insisted Rhyan.

She shook her head. 'I can't live with Eron and his family forever.'

'Live with me,' said Rhyan, impulsively voicing the thing that he had been fantasising about for weeks.

'Pardon?' asked Kel, turning to face him for the first time, sure that she must've misheard.

'I said; live with me,' replied Rhyan, wishing his cheeks wouldn't flush so red. 'In a year or two we could get married, have some kids of our own…'

Kel's eyes were wide. 'Rhyan,' she said slowly, 'I'm sorry, but I could never marry you.'

Rhyan's hopes plummeted to the earth with a shattering finality.

'Why not?' he asked, trying to keep the hurt from showing in his face.

'I just can't…' said Kel.

'Yes you can,' he insisted.

Kel shook her head, 'Look, you've been a good friend to me whilst I've stayed here…but that's all - a friend.'

'But you always come to visit me,' he said, confused, 'and we go out on walks and talk for hours; isn't that courting?'

'Rhyan I'm sorry if I _ever_ gave you the wrong impression,' said Kel, pity filling her eyes, 'but it was just friendship. I'm not looking for another…for a relationship. I told you right from the beginning that I would have to leave one day…'

'We're not good enough for you?' Rhyan asked bitterly.

'Don't be silly,' said Kel, 'but I don't belong here. I come from somewhere a long way from here and I have things that I _need _to do. Things that must be set right.'

'What sort of things?'

'There are bad things going on in Scanra,' said Kel, 'bad people who must be stopped.'

'But why must you be the one to stop them?' asked Rhyan.

'Because if I don't stop them then who will?' replied Kel.

'A warrior or somebody else, I don't know, but you could live safely with me… We could farm here at Redroc and live happily- you always said that farmers were just as important as fighters,' he said desperately, throwing Kel's own words back in her face.

'They are,' said Kel heavily, 'and for you, farming has always been your life and will always be your life. But I am a warrior; the Goddess gave me the talent to fight, which gives me the opportunity to change things. It's part of who I am, just as farming is a part of you. We can't change that.'

'We could try…'

Kel shook her head and Rhyan knew he had lost the argument.

'I've been given this road to walk Rhyan,' she said, her hazel eyes connecting with his, 'and for better or for worse I _have_ to try and follow it. I have to try and fight the terrible things that happen, because terrible things do happen; I've seen them, and it has to stop. And sometimes it feels like I'm the only one fighting for change, but then I met this man, and he showed me that one person really can make a difference. And you know, I'll follow him anywhere, just because I know he's going to give everything he's got to make things better in Scanra. I don't even know how yet, but what I do know is that when he needs me, I'll be there, and maybe, just maybe when things have been set right I'll be able to return to my home.'

She stood up and left the blonde boy sitting in that muddy field, not looking back, afraid that if she did she would start crying again. She slipped and stumbled her way back to Eron's house and Jacqui's sickbed.

That night, dinner was subdued, everyone too aware of Jacqui's empty seat. Meah had fussed and fidgeted all evening, so Eron decided to put her to bed early. Checking that Hal and Isra were playing nicely together, Kel slipped into Jacqui's bedroom.

Upon hearing Kel enter the room, Jacqui opened her eyes.

'Hello,' she said weakly, trying to prop herself up further in the bed that she was no longer well enough to leave.

'Hi,' said Kel, perching on the end of the bed. Jacqui examined her critically.

'Bad day?'

'No,' Kel denied quickly. 'I'm fine, how're you feeling?'

'Nonsense,' croaked Jacqui, 'something's shaken you up.'

Kel gave in and told the woman whom she'd come to trust so much, all about Rhyan and his proposal. As she finished her tale, Jacqui watched her, eyes full of sympathy.

'I didn't realise that he had been hoping for more than just friendship,' admitted Kel. 'I'm not the best at observing these things. Even so, I never wanted another relationship; things just get complicated.'

'When you first came here,' said Jacqui slowly, 'you had just lost someone you cared about.'

Kel nodded, not meeting the older woman's eyes as though afraid of the pity she would find there. 'I was in a terrible place, and he took care of me,' said Kel, throat tightening at the thought of Idan. She paused, determined not to cry. 'His name was Idan.' Kel bit her lip and closed her eyes, willing the pain away.

'This all sounds like an unfortunate misunderstanding,' said Jacqui, tactfully changing the subject. 'Poor Rhyan probably didn't realise that your visit was this temporary and you can't blame the boy for trying -there aren't exactly many girls his age in the village.'

'I can't imagine ever getting married or having children,' admitted Kel.

'Well, I can't say that I understand that,' said Jacqui, 'All I ever fantasised about as a child was having kids. But I think that, in time, if you find the right person…Well you'd make a good mother… I trust you with my kids.'

'Jacqui,' said Kel, her voice hoarse, 'I'm thirteen years old.'

Jacqui's eyes widened. 'How on earth did you end up fighting for Alex?'

'It's a long story,' said Kel, examining her feet, 'and not a particularly nice one.'

'Well, whatever your age, I still trust you with my family. Age isn't everything, far from it. What really counts is in here and here,' said Jacqui, motioning to her heart and head. 'I suspect you've seen a lot of the world, and not all of it pleasant, but despite everything, the fact that you can still love and live as part of a family is something special. And you should know that when you've done what you've set out to do, you'll always be able to find people who'll love you.'

Kel felt hot tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Jacqui beckoned Kel forward, pulling her in close and holding her tightly.

When Kel went to bed that night, she wondered what she would've done without Jacqui to make sense of things over the last few months. One part of her wished that she could tell Jacqui everything about who she was and all that had happened to her, but Kel didn't think that she had the courage to do that.

* * *

It was a week and a half later, six days since the snows had started to fall, that Jacqui died. She had slipped into a peaceful sleep several hours previously. The family sat by her bedside, listening to her rattling breath and watching her frail chest rising up and down.

Kel blinked, Jacqui's chest hadn't risen. The moment seemed to stretch on for eternity, until Kel stood up and gently sought to find a pulse at her friend's neck. There was none. She began to tremble, fighting to keep down the wail of despair that threatened to overwhelm her.

Eron let out a sound like a wounded dog and began to shake at his wife's arm. Hal and Isra stared, horrified at their father's behaviour and Meah began to cry. Kel scooped the toddler up and shepherded the two children out of Jacqui's room and into their own bedroom. Isra began to cry, fighting to return to her mother, but Kel shut the bedroom door firmly and pulled the girl into a rough embrace.

Hal, not understanding why everyone was suddenly behaving so strangely, began to wail, tugging at Kel's breeches. Not having enough arms to comfort and hug all three children at once, Kel backed onto the bed and sat down. She held the children tight, rocking backwards and forth while battling against herself, refusing to let them see her crying.

'Shhh,' she soothed.

Kel didn't know how long they all sat there. Hal and Meah who didn't understand calmed down quite quickly, but Isra was hysterical.

'I want Ma!' she screamed, which set Meah off crying again.

When darkness fell, Kel tucked Hal and Meah into bed, before taking Isra by the hand and leading her along the corridor to Jacqui and Eron's room. Upon entering, she saw Eron still sobbing over his wife's body.

'Da,' whispered Isra.

Eron looked up, his eyes blood-shot and red-rimmed.

'She's gone Kel,' he whispered brokenly, 'She's gone.'

Kel went to comfort Hal, still holding Isra by the hand.

'Ma! Ma!' screamed Isra, spotting the lifeless body of her mother.

With a big effort, Kel picked up the struggling child and held her tightly, rocking her backwards and forth, wiping away a tear of her own angrily.

Meanwhile, Eron wasn't paying any attention to his distraught daughter; he only had eyes for his dead wife. He was shaking all over, mumbling incoherently in Scanran, grasping at Jacqui's hand, as though she might come back if he wished it hard enough.

'Eron,' said Kel, trying to comfort the grief-stricken man.

'Leave me,' he shouted, flailing his arms, hitting Kel's cheekbone and sending her sprawling across the room.

'Daddy,' squealed Isra, untangling herself from Kel. Through her grief, Kel could see utter bewilderment and confusion; why was her father behaving like this?

'Come on,' muttered Kel, scooping up Isra, who was no longer struggling.

She took the girl into the kitchen and retrieved a pail of milk from the larder.

'Right,' said Kel, trying to focus on something other than the pain of losing yet another person who she had grown to love. 'Isra, help me warm some milk for your brother and sister.'

Together they managed to fill four mugs with warm goat's milk and carried them back to the two younger children. Hal and Meah sipped contentedly, whilst Isra and Kel couldn't bring themselves to touch their drinks.

Kel tucked the two youngest children into bed.

'Shhh, try to get some sleep now,' murmured Kel.

'Can you sing to me?' asked Hal in a small voice. 'Ma always sings to me before bed.'

Kel nodded and began to sing, battling against her voice to keep it from breaking with sorrow. She sang a well-known Scancran lullaby, stroking Hal's golden hair gently. Isra sat quietly sniffling in the corner of the room.

_Lay down  
Your sweet and weary head  
Night is falling  
You have come to journey's end  
Sleep now  
And dream of the ones who came before  
They are calling  
From across a distant shore  
Why do you weep?  
What are these tears upon your face?  
Soon you will see  
All of your fears will pass away _

Safe in my arms  
You're only sleeping

What can you see  
On the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea  
A pale moon rises  
The ships have come to carry you home  
And all will turn  
To silver-glass  
A light on the water  
All souls pass

Hope fades  
Until the world of night  
Through shadows falling  
Out of memory and time  
Don't say  
We have come now to the end  
White shores are calling  
You and I will meet again  
  
_And you'll be here in my arms  
Just sleeping _

What can you see  
On the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea  
A pale moon rises  
The ships have come to carry you home  
And all will turn  
To silver-glass  
A light on the water  
Grey ships pass  
Into the west

By the time Kel had finished, Hal and Meah were fast asleep, worn out by the levels of high emotion that had been running all day. Kel closed her eyes and offered up a quick prayer to the mother Goddess, praying to guide them all through the next few difficult days.

Kel helped Isra up, and together they returned to the living room so that Isra's continued crying didn't wake up the other two.

'I want my Ma,' whimpered Isra.

'I know you do,' replied Kel, squeezing the young girl's hand. 'But you've got to be brave, be brave for your Ma. She's had to go away,' Kel's voice cracked. 'And she loves you so much, she didn't want to go, but we can't argue with the gods and your Ma was picked to go with the Dark God.'

'But I need her here,' whimpered Isra.

'We all do,' acknowledged Kel. 'But we're going to have to be brave, you and me both.'

'You're already brave,' sniffled Isra, 'you have a sword and fight bad people. That's very brave. I could never be that brave.'

'That's only one type of bravery. More often than not true bravery isn't in a heroic deed. It's continuing on when things get hard…I was once told _Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's just the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I'll try again tomorrow." _Do you know what that means?'

Isra shook her head.

'It means that tomorrow we'll get up and continue to live our lives even though it hurts and we miss your Ma. It means that we'll look after Hal and Meah tomorrow and in the days that follow because they won't understand. It means that you and I will continue to keep smiling, enjoying life because that's what your Ma would've wanted. Do you think you can do that?'

Isra sniffed and nodded.

'Then you're one of the bravest girls I've ever met,' said Kel truthfully.

'If we have to be brave tomorrow does that mean that I can cry tonight?' asked the young girl plaintively.

'Of course,' said Kel, finally breaking down and letting the tears run down her face as she embraced the small girl.

They cried for hours together, grasping on to each other, trying to stay afloat in the storm of grief that had enveloped both of them. When they had no tears left to cry, they fell asleep on the sofa, curled together.

As the first wintry light dawned over the cottage Kel woke with a start. Isra, who had been sleeping next to Kel also woke up, rubbing her small eyes blearily.

'Shh,' said Kel, 'you stay here.'

'Don't go,' whispered Isra.

'I'll be right back,' called Kel.

She entered Jacqui's room, expecting to find Eron still slumped over his dead wife, but instead she found the room empty. Checking the other rooms, she saw that Hal and Meah were still fast asleep but Eron and Jacqui were nowhere to be found.

Kel returned to Isra and warmed up some milk, which they both hungrily drank since they hadn't had any the previous night.

'Where's Da?' asked Isra. 'He was being strange last night.'

'He's just very upset,' explained Kel, 'which is why we've got to be brave for him.'

'But where is he? Is he still with Ma?'

'No,' said Kel, 'I think he's gone out for a while.' Kel opened the door and peered about at a white world, the fresh snowfall having obliterated everything from the surrounding landscape.

'We're going to have to cope on our own for a bit,' she said practically. 'We can do that can't we?' she asked Isra, who nodded resolutely.

Isra went off to wake her brother and sister, leaving Kel standing in the kitchen with a feeling of intense pride. Isra was being so brave, bearing a burden that no seven-year-old should have to bear.

In the days that followed, Kel muddled through, managing to look after three children and a whole herd of goats. Eron still hadn't returned and Kel had struggled through the snow to ask if anyone had seen him down in the village but no one had. Kel was worried for him, especially in the freezing weather, but she could do nothing to try and find him; she couldn't leave Isra, Hal and Meah to fend for themselves.

On the third night after Jacqui had died, all four of them were huddling in the children's bedroom, Kel telling a story, when Kel heard the front door creak. All of the children froze.

Kel stood up and picked up her sword from where it had been propped against the wall. She unsheathed it, to reveal the shiny blade. She heard the soft tread of footsteps across the flagstone floor. They sounded too delicate to be Eron and adrenalin surged through Kel's body. She threw open the door and stepped out to face the intruder.

'Kel?' asked a voice that Kel would recognise anywhere.

'Alex?'

'By Mithros I didn't recognise you!' he exclaimed, 'you've grown!'

They stood awkwardly; their last meeting hadn't been overly friendly.

'Look Kel, I'm sorry,' began Alex, 'I shouldn't have-'

Kel shook her head, 'It doesn't matter.'

Simultaneously they stepped forward to embrace, both of them squeezing the other tightly.

'I've missed you,' whispered Alex.

'Me too,' Kel replied.

When they parted, Alex looked past Kel to where Isra, Hal and Meah were all peering out of the bedroom to see what was going on.

'Hello you three,' said Alex, 'I don't suppose you remember me.'

'You were the one who bought Kel to us,' said Isra.

Alex nodded. 'Where are your parents?' he asked the children, looking around the dark cottage.

Kel looked away, not able to meet Alex's eyes. 'It's just us here,' she muttered.

Alex changed topics at lightning speed. 'Isra, can you put your sister and brother to bed.'

The girl nodded, her blue eyes switching from Kel to Alex.

'We'll be right in here if you need anything,' Kel assured her.

'Okay,' replied Isra in a small voice.

Kel added a few more logs onto the fire in the sitting room and collapsed onto a sofa, balancing her sword against the fabric-covered arm of the sofa.

'Jacqui died three days ago,' she said abruptly, 'Eron disappeared with her body while we were asleep.'

'By Mithros,' said Alex. 'How're the kids coping?'

'As best as could be hoped,' replied Kel, staring into the flames of the fire, mesmerised.

'How are _you _doing?' he asked more directly.

Kel shrugged.

'I'm sorry for putting you through this pain again,' said Alex quietly.

'No,' said Kel, 'I'm glad you left me here. I've learnt so much, these people, these farmer folk, surviving out here in the wilderness, they've taught me so much about life…'

'I found the same thing once,' Alex mused. 'Often the best lessons we learn aren't from priests or victorious leaders, but from the ordinary everyday people that we meet on our travels.'

They sat in silence for a while longer, before Kel said;

'How are things in the rest of Scanra?'

'Getting worse,' replied Alex, his expression grim, 'but we're still fighting _him_ every second of the way and we're not going down without a fight.'

'We'll get him one day,' said Kel quietly, with such conviction that Alex looked up. Hazel eyes met hazel once more and both sought comfort from the courage and determination in the other's eyes.

'Kel,' ventured a small voice.

Kel broke eye contact with Alex to see Isra padding across the floor towards her.

'I can't sleep,' she explained in a small voice, climbing onto Kel's lap and hugging her.

Kel soothed the girl, rubbing her back comfortingly. 'You're being so brave,' she murmured into Isra's golden curls. 'So brave…' she whispered, closing her eyes, feeling a single tear spilling down her cheek.

_She's not the only one, _thought Alex, watching Kel comfort the small girl. Seeing Kel again had given Alex the strength that he so desperately needed. Every time he saw Kel still fighting, still struggling against her burdens he was reminded that he wasn't alone in this mess and it gave him fresh hope for the difficult times that lay ahead.

Just then, the front door swung open, letting in a flurry of fresh snowflakes. Alex leapt to his feet, closely followed by Kel, swords naked in their hands.

A man stumbled into the kitchen, his clothes soaked and hair matted.

'Da!' squealed Isra.

Eron looked up and Kel saw peace in his light blue eyes.

'It's done,' he said quietly. Kel nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

Isra ran to her father and leapt into his arms. Eron hugged her back, rocking her gently, murmuring; 'I'm here baby, I'm here.'

* * *

**(-a/n- **So what did you think of that? I really liked writing this chapter ;D It only took me four hours, which is relatively short! Don't forget to check out the 'Fallen cover' on my profile and please leave a review :D )

**Confusedknight xxx**


	38. Pasts revealed

**(-a/n-**Once again thanks for the amazing review response :D I'm overwhelmed! And thanks for all the lovely private messages that you guys sent –I get really exited when I see them in my email inbox! Also I passed on your comments to **Citrusfruit** and she was really pleased too :D

Sorry about this late update, but you've no idea how ruthless my teachers are being with work at the moment. I've reached the easter holidays all but on my hands and knees. So now I have a 3 day break before embarking on weeks of work experience and revision! Yes –lucky me! 

Anyway, for those who haven't seen the cover yet, please check it out, it's on my profile…

Thanks to these wonderful people: 

**where-wolf-kit****, He-Yan, Cherrysinger, rampaging bookcase, 5253racer  
, MoonGoddessBookworm, Kokari, JaBoyYa, On top of cloud 9, Flame of Burning Embers, brezzybrez, dovasary76, . . . and I Feel Fine, elf warrior princess, xXxCrazyBookwormxXx, Hunchbook, clurr, bookworm-4-ever2012, Your Anonymous, katiebug123, Lady Knight Jocelyn, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, Die Grosse Heldin von Lyoko, milky way bar, geka0taitsume0taikaiyou, Feed The Foxes,  
Pie of Doomeh, Mirannda, 13.shimer.13, BlackWidow12, Uncertian Destiny, Da Lady Vitch, Mystic Moon Empress, Drunken Little Monkey, Eternityfalls, LadyKnight44, Dom-Basher CHAMPION, Shang Leopard, Fumbling for Confidence, sillygoose2332, jesi ki kage, Nkki, Jaden Scorpio, Bookflower, PlaidPanda543, Aly-Of-Tortall13, Brokenflamesrebel, LadyKitKat, Serilia, The-Muse-In-Me, Bradhadair fire starter, Erytha, hahaheeheehaha, Lady Mage, Minathia, Foret Me Not Blue, chariti, Pepper Lemon, Sarkule, Venuspixie, prettyhowtown, Dreamwings, stardust718, Geminia, abyssgirl, berndi, yaoi kitsune, juzblue, BlackCat, skyflyte12, Evil Bunny of Death, Michi, gaya2081, Transfiguration, Night-Player, stoictimer, Erynfaer, Fariy Lights, Me, Yabberli, Elementalmoon, Cheeseycraziness, SavingSaturn, killing u with umbrellas, Mint Tea Rose, writer wanted, youdontwant2no, SarahE7191, NotAfraidToLive, this fish flies, mountainelements, truffletruffle01, airforcegirl, ThJaFl, emerald lady, darkjewelledassassin, littlefreeeagle, Lady Knight Keladry, untamedspiral, princessofcrown101, Hisshou, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, seven3eight, oirishgoddess, Golden23, Grace of Masbolle, peddyviolin, epobbp, F75, Love.Always.Alice.and.Jasper, Lady Zarobiti, Skyline Romance, ****Krae Z.Rokke, **** LadyKnightSusan, Kyubbi-Sama & Opal-169.  
**

**Tomboy **I actually got the quote from a poster-ish thing that I spotted in my sixth-form college (they have this habit of sticking up random pieces of paper with pictures/quotes/advice…-shrugs-)**  
**

**The Shang Kudarung**apparently the font was killigraphy ?**  
**

**Elfie-may**- Just so you don't feel left out! Thanks for diligently copying and pasting –I hope this chapter meets your expectations :P Wicked tomorrow! Yay :D

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

Kel felt the weight of Alex's gaze upon her as she bent down to pick up the infant that was tugging on the leg of her breeches. Ignoring him for now, she hugged Meah close to her, inhaling the sweet scent of a small child.

'You be good for your pa now,' she murmured into soft blonde curls.

Kel handed Meah back to Eron, but the small girl protested, crying out and reaching for Kel. A lump in her throat, Kel turned to say her goodbyes to Hal. 

The little boy hugged her for all he was worth before mumbling miserably; 'Why can't you stay? I want you to stay.'

'I have to go,' explained Kel patiently as she smoothed back his soft hair from his face.

She then hugged Eron, who kissed her on the top of her head and thanked her for everything that she'd done for his small family. Kel nodded, trying to keep a grip on her calm composure. Finally she turned to Isra. The girl, bottom lip trembling, launched herself onto Kel.

'You be a brave girl,' croaked Kel, hugging her young friend tightly.

'I promise,' replied Isra. Then looking up at Kel she said, 'Will you ever come back?'

'Someday,' Kel said falteringly. 

'Promise,' insisted Isra, her clear blue eyes piercing Kel's soul.

'There are things that I have to do…' said Kel, helplessly.

'Well once you've done them, come straight back here,' said Isra practically.

'If I can,' said Kel, 'then I promise I will.'

This seemed to satisfy the newly turned eight-year-old.

Alex returned, having prepared the horses for their journey. Before she left the warmth of the cottage Kel secured a thick cloak over her many layers of clothing, and wound a headscarf around her head. 

'We'd better make a move, daylight hours are precious,' said Alex quietly. 

Eron nodded and took Alex's extended arm, shaking it firmly. He then touched a clenched fist to his heart and then his forehead, in a salute that Kel had seen several people use.

Alex returned the gesture seriously, holding Eron's gaze and the two men seemed to have some kind of private conversation with their eyes. After a pause Eron inclined his head in what was unmistakeably a bow. Alex turned away too quickly for Kel to see his reaction. With a wave and one heart-wrenching look back, Kel followed Alex out into the crisp January air.

* * *

The dumpy horse that Kel was riding snorted as she adjusted her seat. She stretched out her legs, trying to encourage more blood to flow to her aching muscles. Kel felt Alex's gaze on her yet again, and this time turned her head to meet it.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing,' muttered Alex.

'Yes there is,' replied Kel. 'Why are you staring at me?'

Sighing, Alex turned to face the horizon and said; 'You've grown so much.'

It was true, over her time at Jacqui's, Kel had shot upwards, gaining almost two inches in height. That wasn't the only change to her appearance; although it couldn't be seen beneath her layers of clothing Kel had developed a womanly shape, curves that hadn't been there before.

'I mean the last time I saw you…' Alex trailed off at the memory. 'Well, you were in a pretty bad way.'

Kel didn't know what to say, and instead remained silent, staring around at the white, wintry landscape. The sun's rays were reflecting off of the pure snow, nearly dazzling Kel with their brightness. The crystal blue sky that hung above them seemed to stretch on forever, beyond the furthest peak of the mountains in the distance.

'So where are we going?' asked Kel, dragging her eyes from the beautiful landscape.

'I need to drop in to meet an old friend,' said Alex, unusually forthcoming with information.

'Oh?' inquired Kel.

'I think he may have some information for me, regarding a Gallan mage that has been in contact with Maggur.'

They rode on in companionable silence, both dwelling in their own thoughts. Around midday Alex passed Kel a plain lunch of bread and dried meat. They ate in their saddles, only pausing to allow the horses to drink.

After lunch the silence gave way to easy conversation and banter. Alex entertained Kel with stories and accounts of historical events. 

He recounted ancient battles, explaining to Kel not only who won, but why. They discussed at length the tactics and strategy involved in commanding a battle and although Kel didn't realise it immediately, as she listened, she learnt.

As the sun sunk ever lower Alex told her age old tales of the Dominion jewel, of Miache and Zefrem and how they had saved Tyra. 

'Not unlike what we're trying to do,' Kel mused aloud.

'It would certainly be a lot easier if we had the Dominion jewel,' said Alex with a hollow laugh.

'Is that it on the horizon?' Kel asked suddenly changing the topic.

Alex squinted into the sun's blood-red rays at the silhouette on the outcrop ahead. 

'Yes,' he confirmed, 'that's where Heyl lives.'

They kicked their weary horses into a trot and began to climb the last one hundred metres towards their destination.

Something about the village struck Kel as slightly sinister; it's dark buildings cast long shadows across the frozen earth. A smell hit Kel's nostrils, a stench that was horribly familiar to Kel; the stench of death.

'Alex…' she said hesitantly, but her companion was already dismounting, sword in hand.

Kel followed suit, and together they walked cautiously towards the village, or what was left of it.

Now that they were closer Kel could see that the village's buildings were smoke-blackened, some with their roofs half collapsed, or doors kicked inwards. The stench of rotting flesh got stronger with every step she took, and Kel found herself breathing through her mouth to avoid being sick.

It was deathly silent in the village. Nothing moved, and the soft tramping of their own feet through the snow was the only thing that Kel could hear. Kel's horse began to resist, evidently not wanting to enter any further into the hellish scene that was unfolding. 

She tethered the horse to a nearby tree, and after a moment Alex copied her, leaving Prince to stand alongside the smaller horse.

Walking slightly closer together than they normally would, Kel and Alex slipped between two buildings to enter the village's main street. 

It was a scene of devastation. The snow that lay on the floor was churned into the mud, staining it brown, with patches of crimson blood. Dark shapes littered the ground ahead. Children lay scattered across the ground, their insides spilling out of gaping wounds. Women with their skirts pushed up, lay where they had been left, killed as they were being raped. 

Kel felt her stomach constrict and she doubled over, retching and heaving up the contents of her stomach. Her brain was numb, overcome with horror at the scene that lay in front of her. She wiped her mouth with a trembling hand and continued to step further into the village. 

It was only when they reached the centre of what would've been the village green, did Kel and Alex discover the majority of the town's men folk. The men appeared to have been tied up, before being treated to an execution-like death. The heads that had once been attached to bodies had rolled away, leaving a trail of gore behind them.

Kel heaved once more, unable to bear the smell of rotting flesh. She shut her eyes, trying to block everything out. But the scene seemed to be imprinted on her eyelids; there was no escape. 

She opened her eyes slowly and almost against her will, Kel stepped closer to examine the scene. Only one man seemed to have escaped a beheading, and he seemed to have died a symbolic death. He was bound to the post on the green; the same post which young girls would've danced around at Beltane. 

A sign was nailed into his chest. Grim-faced Alex stepped closer to read it.

'_This is what happens to those who oppose the rule of Maggur the Great. This man is a traitor to Scanra, a man who preferred to watch his people die than bow to his rightful master.'_

Alex reached forward with two shaking hands and removed the sign, casting it aside. He used his sword to slash the bonds that held the man in place and the man slumped forward. Alex caught him and carefully laid the corpse on the ground. Kel reached down and gently shut the man's eyelids, covering the pain-filled eyes.

Neither of them said anything. For what could be said that would make the slightest bit of difference? They stood there immobile for several minutes. Everything was eerily still, except for the sun that sunk ever lower in the sky. It would soon be night.

Kel made a decision somewhere inside her and slowly walked over to the body of a small boy. She took off her cloak, and sheathed her sword; the enemy were long gone. Then, slowly she reached down and hefted the small boy up. She walked slowly back to where Alex was standing and laid the boy next to the man on the ground, shutting his eyes too. 

Then she returned for another body, and another. Alex, jolted out of his grief-stricken haze, began to help, lifting the larger victims and laying them on the ground, side by side.

It was perhaps one of the most horrendous things Kel had ever had to do. The corpses smelt and before long Kel was covered in putrefied blood. When they had finally gathered together every villager that they could find, Alex did a head count. Thirty-seven bodies. Thirty-seven victims.

In reality the number was probably higher. Whilst searching, Kel had found human remains in the burnt out shells of houses; presumably mothers who had barricaded themselves in with their children. She shuddered involuntarily. She had come close to burning to death once before; and couldn't imagine how awful it must have been to feel the searing heat of the flames, the choking smoke…Kel retched once more, but there was nothing left in her stomach. 

Alex started up a small fire which allowed him to light torches for them both. Using any wood they could find, they transferred the blaze to the row of corpses, making sure that every single body was consumed by flickering yellow flames.

The smoke stung Kel's eyes, and the stench was almost unbearable, but she stood stoically next to Alex, honouring the dead.

'Blessed Yahzed hear me now,' Alex prayed aloud, his voice full of desperation. 'Allow us to revenge the deaths of these people; give us the strength to continue in this venture. Grant the same courage to my people that Heyl showed here and let your country not fall prey to this evil. Help me to complete what I vowed I would do all those years ago…God of Righteousness hear this prayer and guide us in our quest for Scanra's redemption…For I _will _bring Maggur down. I _will…_' Alex dropped to his knees, his face in his hands.

'Give these brave people safe passage to the Dark god's realms,' whispered Kel, sending her own prayer skywards.

'Let's go,' she whispered, tugging at Alex's shirt.

He got up and Kel was surprised to see that his eyes were still dry. Her own tears had spilled long ago, creating tracks down her dirty cheeks. 

Kel collected her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders to protect her from the cold winter's night. But as warm and as comforting as the thick material was, it could not ward off the chill that had settled over her heart.

They climbed back onto their horses and rode off into the night. For hours they travelled, simply following the path ahead, aiming to get as far away from the village as possible. Fortunately it was a clear night, and the moon that hung pearly white in the sky illuminated a little of the surrounding landscape.

Every now and again, Kel would glance back over her shoulder towards the ever-decreasing glow of the funeral pyre. 

As they rode, Kel became colder and colder. Her face was frozen and she could no longer feel her fingers. The tears that still leaked down her face stung dreadfully, but she didn't wipe them away. The pain was almost welcome, something to distract her from the images that played across her mind. 

They came to a small river and Alex dismounted, evidently planning to set up a camp for the night. They set up the camp in silence, each performing the tasks almost without thinking. Soon their tent was erected, and a small fire was light nearby. The horses, tethered loosely to a tree, huddled together to ward off the cold.

As Kel watched, Alex stripped off his filthy shirt and kneeling by the water's edge, used his fist to break the thin layer of ice on the river's surface. He then doused his torso in the freezing water, gasping involuntarily at the cold. 

Kel searched for a clean set of clothes in her saddle bag and changed inside the tent, pulling on clean breeches and a clean jumper to replace her blood-covered ones. Kel then used the river water to wash the smoke and grime off of her face. Finally she removed her headscarf, letting her tousled hair hang loosely around her face.

She shivered again and drew closer to the small fire, soaking up the heat that it radiated. Alex, now changed into a clean shirt joined her, staring into the flames.

'Alex…' Kel began minutes later. 'I have to know why,' Kel's voice was slow, uncertain and desperate. 'I have to know why they all look at you like that. I have to know why a man would watch his whole village being slaughtered rather than betray your secrets.' Her voice now had a slightly hysterical edge to it. 'I have to know because otherwise everything I've seen…everything I've been through…It doesn't make sense.'

Alex turned to Kel, his eyes normally so full of life were deadened.

'I can't…'

'I've given _everything_ I have to give for this campaign, followed you blindly. I've followed you into danger Mithros-only-knows how many times, and I'll continue to do so, but I _need _to know why. Those people that died…The suffering that I've seen…I _need_a reason, something to keep me fighting…'

'Damn it Alex,' she swore. 'Everyone else knows something that I don't. I'm not _blind, _I can see it in their eyes, the respect, the hope, even the love... Why won't you tell me?' Kel finished her speech, breathing hard, her eyes slightly wild.

'Because it's difficult…' croaked Alex.

'How difficult can it be?' shot back Kel without thinking.

'What nightmare is it that haunts _you_ night after night?' Alex replied.

Kel's rage evaporated as she realised how foolish her earlier words had sounded. Some things were difficult to say and remember. Some things still _hurt_ years after they'd happened.

'I'll make you a deal,' said Alex quietly. 'I'll tell you about my nightmare, in exchange for yours.' 

'But what does your nightmare have to do with Scanra and Maggur?' asked Kel confused.

'Everything.' Said Alex shortly. 

'Alright,' replied Kel before she could change her mind. 'It's a deal.'

Alex shut his eyes briefly accepting the inevitable and began to speak.

'I told you on the first night we met that I go by many names,' he started slowly. 'But I was born Alexei of Rathhausak.'

Kel stared at Alex in horror, 'You're Maggur's son?'

'No!' said Alex vehemently. 'That man was not born a Rathhausak, nor will he ever be one.' He continued on, 'I don't suppose you remember all those months ago, when we met up with George. He told you the tale of how Maggur came to power. Well, it was more or less accurate. I should know. I was there.' 

Alex's voice was thick with emotion as he recounted the next part of his tale.

'I grew up as the second youngest of the five children of Clan chief Birtrus of Rathhausak. I lived with my parents, and my four siblings in the castle, and as a young boy I never really worried about very much.'

He smiled weakly, 'All I ever really cared about was swordplay. I practised for hours every day with the guardsmen. I wasn't interested in learning to run the clan; I had accepted that my elder brother Jonai would take over from our father when the time came…' 

'I never really had much to do with my older siblings, but my younger brother and I were inseparable. I used to teach Sameis, or Sammy everything. I taught him swordplay, how to ride, the best places to hunt…' Alex swallowed with difficultly. 'You remind me so much of him. You have the same spark for life, the same determination. It's one of the reasons why I took you on in the first place…' He trailed off.

'Anyway we all grew older, enjoying long and happy childhoods. I spent everyday riding and fighting. Life was good, life was simple. That was until one day when I was seventeen. My father died and suddenly everything changed. Although I didn't suspect it at the time, I'm pretty sure that it was Maggur who killed him. Loyal, brave, courageous Maggur, Captain of my father's private guard,' Alex spat bitterly. 

'I wasn't overly affected my father's death, but Jonai, who had spent most days of his life at my father's side was distraught. In hindsight, we should have been there more for him and Mithros only knows how much I wish that I'd tried harder to support my elder brother… But the fact was that whilst everyone grieved Sammy and I isolated ourselves. We sought comfort in each other alone, left the workings of the clan to Jonai.'

'Over the next few months, Maggur rose to be my brother's right-hand man. They would spend most of the day together, locked in my father's office deep in conversation. It was during this time that Maggur poisoned my brother against the family. He used my brother like a pawn. His lies tricked Jonai into thinking that we, his own flesh and blood, sought to usurp him.' Alex took a deep breath.

'And then one night I was shaken awake. It was Rhonda, one of my elder sister's maids. I'll never forget the look on her face. Rhonda may not have lost her life that night, but some part of her died. You see, when she dragged me to my sister's rooms I found them both dead. Their throats had been cut. I then ran to my mother's room, to discover that she had suffered a similar fate.'

'By this time I was in a state of shock. And that was when I heard it. The scream that tore my world apart. I raced to Sammy's room, just in time to see Jonai pulling his sword from Sammy's stomach,' tears sparkled in Alex's eyes now.

'I was so angry that I couldn't think straight. My brother turned on me and I on him. We fought as though we were possessed. It wasn't an easy fight. We had both grown up with a sword in our hands and were evenly matched. I was wounded…' Alex gestured to his chest, where Kel knew a long scar resided. 

'For a moment I thought that I was going to die but then I saw my younger brother was still breathing. I had a glimmer of hope and somehow, I managed to overpower my brother. I ran him through,' whispered Alex, horrified at the memory.

'But Sammy had gone by the time I reached him. My whole family, Kel, wiped out in one night. I was suddenly alone in the world,' his voice broke and tears cascaded down his cheeks. 'That was when that piece of filth turned up. If I'd known at the time that he was the reason behind everything I would've killed him on the spot, but I was so confused. I was weak and dizzy with shock and blood-loss. He shouted, woke up almost the entire castle, shouting and screaming that I'd killed them all…' 

Kel was frozen in place, unable to think of anything she could do to help her friend and mentor. Alex meanwhile continued, ignoring the fact that tears were dripping off of his chin and that he was shaking from head to foot.

'I stumbled down the stairs, mumbling that I didn't do anything. Rhonda was with me, shouting at Maggur, yelling that I didn't do anything. I don't really remember much of what happened next,' admitted Alex quietly, 'but Rhonda grabbed Prince and got me out of the castle. She used her gift to keep me alive and for days we fled from Rathhausak, pursued by Maggur's men.'

'Then what happened?' asked Kel, caught up in Alex's tale.

'We crossed the Vassa into Tortall and came to rest at a small village called Queensgrace. I had caught a fever and for several days I drifted somewhere between life and death. I was ready to give up and go to the Dark God's realm, but Rhonda refused to let me go. She and another healer battled to keep me alive and eventually I recovered.' Alex twisted his hands convulsively in his lap, trying to stop them from shaking.

'I was a mess. I was so depressed that for months I simply couldn't do anything,' he sighed. 'And yet again Rhonda saved me, working her fingers to the bone to provide for the both of us.'

Alex shook his head slightly. 'I owe Rhonda my life a hundred times over. Mithros knows what she was going through, but she managed to keep us both alive. She fought so hard to keep me alive…but she's never forgiven herself. She and my sister Evarna were so close. She was Evarna's maid, body guard and best friend. On the night that it all happened, she'd gone to the town to meet her lover. And she came back and found…She blames herself for what happened. Rhonda's never been the same since…' Kel's mind reeled, suddenly understanding for the first time the prickly, tough woman whom she'd met in Sekholm.

For a few minutes they sat in silence. 'Rhonda returned to Scanra. It was then that I met Annie.' Alex's voice took on a different tone as he continued his tale… 'Before I knew it I was head over heels in love with her. We were going to be married…'

'Yes?' said Kel when Alex faltered.

'But then Rhonda returned from her trip to Scanra. She described what Maggur had done to our people, to my people. And somewhere deep down, I realised that I couldn't settle down with Annie. Not while my people suffered. So I made a promise. A stupid, crazy vow to Yahzed the Scanran god of righteousness, that I would bring Maggur to justice.'

'And that's what you've been fighting for ever since,' said Kel softly. 'You're the rightful heir to the clan of Rathhausak.' Kel whistled, 'And if Maggur crowns himself,' she said slowly, 'then that makes you the rightful King of Scanra.'

Alex nodded heavily. Kel stared at her friend, an awed expression on her face. No wonder the people respected him so. 

'It scared me tonight,' Alex admitted after a moment's pause. 'The fact that Heyl sacrificed his _whole village_ to keep my secret. You see, there are only a few people who know my true identity. A few trusted people; Rhonda obviously, Marthea –who used to be one of the head cooks at Rathhausak, Jacqui & Eron…' he trailed off. 'Most people involved know that we're going to replace Maggur, but not who we're going to replace him with.'

'As it stands the idea is to let Maggur crown himself and engage in a war with Tortall. Then whilst his armies are busy on the southern border, a smaller army of selected warriors will sneak towards Hamrkeng. When we've got his personal guard tied up then I can fight him, man to man for the throne of Scanra.'

Alex took a shuddering breath. 'I know what I've got to do and I'm not afraid of getting hurt in the process…but I am afraid of others getting hurt. I know that hundreds, maybe thousands of people are going to die for this cause…how can I live with that?' he asked helplessly.

'You'll live with it because you must,' replied Kel firmly. 'Because if you succeed then these people will not have died in vain. They believe in you. I believe in you,' said Kel seriously. She then got up and embraced the man who was closer than a brother to her. 'You can do it,' she murmured into his blonde hair, 'we'll do it together.' 

Breaking away and looking straight into his tear-filled eyes she said 'You have my sword Alex of Rathhausak. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth and back if that's what it takes to set things right in Scanra.'

Alex pulled her into a tight hug, and they cried together. They cried for things past, for the villagers who'd been sacrificed for their cause and for the unknown, uncertain future. A future they would face together.

When their tears subsided, they broke apart and Kel stared into the embers of the dying fire.

'I suppose I need to tell you my nightmare now,' she said slowly, hugging her knees.

'No you don't need to-,' said Alex shaking his head.

'Yes I do,' said Kel firmly. 'We made a deal and I'll honour my side…Although my nightmare seems trivial in comparison.' She steeled herself, and not meeting Alex's eyes began to talk.

'Nearly two years ago now, I was attacked…raped by a Tauros.' There, she had said it. 'I was trying to protect a friend,' Kel could feel sobs rising in her chest once more. 'At night I can still see it, still _feel_ it on top of me…' 

'Kel…' breathed Alex horrified, despite the events of the evening. No young girl deserved that.

He drew her shaking form into a strong embrace. 

'And it's stupid,' continued Kel, mumbling into his chest, 'but every time it's so real and I'm so scared. I don't think I could live through that if it happened again. I was just so frightened, and I couldn't fight it off. No one came to help me,' Kel choked. 'I screamed and nobody came.' 

'Shh,' Alex soothed. 

It was getting very late by the time Kel had calmed down enough to go to sleep. She settled down in her bedroll and then shuffled herself over so that she was snuggled against Alex. His solid presence calmed her. Alex reached out and squeezed her hand. 

There were no words that could be said that could help remove the burdens that had been placed upon the two young people that lay there. But they sought solace in each other as they'd done before, drawing the strength and courage that they would need for the coming months.

* * *

**(-a/n-**So what did you think? Alex's secret's out! Hopefully if you ever re-read fallen you'll be able to spot and understand some of the clues that I've laid down for you along the way :D Well done to anyone who guessed that he was the middle brother! 

Please leave a review, as not only do they make me extremely happy, but it's also my 17th birthday on Sunday, so leave me one as a present! ) 

I hope you all have a great Easter!

**Confusedknight xx**


	39. New life, new name

**(-a/n-** As always, I owe you all a big apology for my late update. Life is relentless. The holiday was not a holiday at all, and now I'm returning to school for more work, work, work. I have an unbelievable amount of things to do and I need to start revising hard, otherwise I won't get the grades I need to get into Vet school. Updating will be infrequent until the fourth of June… Anyway I'm sure I'll muddle through. Thanks for all your lovely reviews, the reviews which are currently causing me to spend the next five hours writing this. )

Da Lady Vitch, . . . and I Feel Fine, stoictimer, Erytha, neverlife, killing u with umbrellas, abyssgirl, Your Anonymous, LadyKnight44, Brokenflamesrebel, Pepper Lemon, gems, SavingSaturn, EmpressOfPudding, Opal-169, Golden23, ShinyObsessed, Horseluvr13, gaya2081, TheBrassPotato, milky way bar, jesi ki kage, Aly-Of-Tortall13, mountainelements, Grace of Masbolle, Forget Me Not Blue, Hunchbook, Vyrsena, 13.shimer.13, Transfiguration, Mystic Moon Empress, MoonGoddessBookworm, Lisy111, F75, emerald lady, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, E.beth, NotAfraidToLive, Bookflower, Geminia, The Shang Kudarung, Shang Leopard, pinnapleonpizza, Becky, writer wanted, SarahE7191, youdontwant2no, sillygoose2332, Skyline Romance, BlackWidow12, Lives for Fantasy, littlefreeeagle, darknessversuslight, Die Grosse Heldin von Lyoko, SaoirseWaveglow, Bradhadair fire starter, oirishgoddess, BlackCat, Love.Always.Alice.and.Jasper, Orohippus, soccerchick-08, Arid Tundra, brezzybrez, after.a.hard.day, T.B., PlaidPanda543, The Sherberty Lemon, inktounge58, Sunkissed Guacamole, mylovelyminion, Sarkule, Dom-Basher CHAMPION, seekerchick06, Jaden Scorpio, I love Fallen!, truffletruffle01, Misery DeSoul, The knights who until recently said Ni, Erynfaer, bittenbysquirrel, Venuspixie, Lady-Snape7, berndi, Yabberli, hahaheeheehaha, The-Muse-In-Me, Drunken Little Monkey, DaughterofDeath, Lady Mage, Me, cola, geka0taitsume0taikaiyou, .yashamew, Fariy Lights, Dragon Huntress, Lady Knight Keladry, Mysterylegend, tomboy, Flyer without Wings, Jasmin Elliot, clurr, Unlucky Thirteen. 13, Gen, darkjewelledassassin, kgwoozle, Ace Ryn Knight, stardust718, xXxCrazyBookwormxXx, Bright123, Lady Zarobiti, On top of cloud 9, Cheeseycraziness, In the Silence, sumaviper, epobbp, 5253Racer, xxTunstall Chickxx, Sushiandmanga, AnGeL oF mAdNeSs, hail flying spaghetti monster, Krae Z. Rokke, XxOo, Evil Bunny of Death, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, Feed The Foxes, Pie of Doomeh, Kokari, Kelss6692, Lady Sapphirea, bookworm-4-ever2012, Eternityfalls, beckysue904, Arsera345, SabbyRinaBanina, Mysticalflame, celticswirls, starlitenite284, LadyKnightOpal, Kiley 1 09, Alaenor-Skybird, SeventhSpanishAngel, wAstxd1sYmPhOny, dorie, assosson, Diana, jayley, Razsha, shadowstorm13 & silvericedrop.

elfie-may hope this makes you feel better x

amitai a chapter of 'Hell is other people' would be nice :P

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Another icy gust tugged at Kel's clothing and she bit back a moan. Her fingers were so cold that she could barely clench the reins tight enough to be able to pull her horse to a halt. Following Alex's lead she dismounted and tethered her horse to a nearby tree. As Kel watched through her scrunched up eyes, Alex removed his thick cloak and unsheathed his sword. Miserably, Kel did the same, shivering violently at the loss of the thick material.

'Guard,' Alex instructed mercilessly.

Fumbling, Kel held her sword upright, and sorted her limbs into the correct stance.

Alex began to attack. He started off at a slower pace than he normally did, but Kel presumed this was because they hadn't done a warm up. Gritting her teeth, she positioned her sword again and again to meet his blows. Alex was placing his attacks carefully, forcing Kel to twist and change position to avoid injury.

Kel's attacks in return were slow and sluggish, her mind could only focus on one thing; how cold she was.

'Concentrate!' Alex half-shouted over the roaring wind. 'You won't get to pick the weather in a battle.'

Knowing that there was sense in Alex's words Kel began to pour more energy into her attacks. She tried to immerse herself in the movements of her body, ignoring her stinging face and hands.

'And again,' instructed Alex as she completed a complex set of moves. He was a ruthless teacher, but Kel knew deep down that it would pay off in the long run. All the same, she would much rather have settled down in her bed roll next to a fire, and have worked off the chill that way.

Without bothering to tell her that he was changing to a free duel, Alex changed the speed and direction of his attacks. After one hurried block in which Kel stepped backwards, she rose to the challenge and met his attacks with renewed vigour. Kel could finally start to feel warm blood entering her frozen extremities and although the icy air hurt her lungs she felt much more awake, adrenalin coursing through her veins.

The attack sped up, both fighters searching for gaps in the other's defences. It didn't take long for Alex to find one in Kel's. Despite practising almost every day since having her sword returned Kel had had little chance to fight against an opponent. She retrieved her sword from the ground and they began all over again.

Alex won his second victory when he pulled off a complicated feint that Kel hadn't come across before.

'You'll have to teach me that one tomorrow,' she said before starting up the duel once more. The second time that Alex tried the new feint Kel spotted it at the last minute and danced out of the way.

'You learn fast little one,' said Alex, impressed.

Kel didn't reply, instead choosing to spend her breath on executing a series of swipes at Alex's defences.

They continued in such a fashion for just under an hour until Alex declared that they'd better journey a little further before night fell. Panting hard, the sweat on her face already freezing, Kel nodded and sheathed her sword.

Alex glanced over at his young companion as she readied her horse. His eyes were full of respect; Kel had never once beaten him and at the same time had never given up or tired of their relentless duelling.

'Is it far?' Kel asked, tucking her cloak securely around her frame.

'About forty minutes of hard riding,' replied Alex, swinging himself onto Prince.

'Good,' muttered Kel, 'I need a hot bath.'

Alex smiled to himself, just catching Kel's words over the howling gale.

The ride to the small village was unpleasant, and they arrived cold, hungry and tired outside the Inn. The man that greeted them was short, unctuous and showed them to their room with an altogether disapproving air. Looking down at their attire Kel wasn't surprised. They'd been on the road for five days and both of their clothes were stained with the blood of the villagers that they'd found on that horrible night after they'd left Redroc.

The room was a pleasant size and Kel made a beeline for the privy, where she found a bathtub standing before a crackling fire. Alex poked his head around the door and chuckled at the sight of Kel already heating a bucketful of water over the fire.

'Eager are we?' he asked.

'I've been waiting for this_ all_ day,' said Kel with feeling.

'Well I'll let you get on with it,' said Alex retracting his head and shutting the door. Several minutes later he heard splashing and a yelp as Kel climbed into the tub of hot soapy water.

His limbs ached after days in the saddle and wearily Alex set about unpacking their bags, sorting out what needed washing and making an inventory of the supplies they needed for the next leg of their journey.

He finished making piles of their dirty clothes and removing his shoes, he lay back on the bed. Within seconds Alex's eyes had closed and he was fast asleep.

Ten minutes later, Kel reappeared, wrapped in a large bath towel and looking remarkably pink. She was just about to ask Alex if she had any clean clothes left, when she spotted her friend sleeping peacefully on the bed, she smiled and tiptoed over to where all the clothes lay. Kel rummaged around and picked out the cleanest looking shirt and breeches that she could find. After double-checking that Alex was definitely asleep, she pulled on a loincloth and the pair of slightly-too big breeches. Letting her towel drop to the floor, she fastened a breast band and pulled on a grey shirt. Kel then picked up the towel and wound it around her dripping hair.

Deciding to let Alex rest, Kel scooped up the mound of clothes and staggered down the stairs. The short innkeeper frowned as Kel entered the empty room, as though she were distracting him from something important.

'Where can I get these washed?' asked Kel from behind her armful of clothes.

The man gestured to a doorway on Kel's left. Using her foot to push open the door, Kel entered the back room.

'Is that washing for me?' asked a friendly voice. Within seconds a pair of firm hands were easing Kel's load.

Kel nodded, examining the woman in front of her.

'Sorry about my husband,' the lady chattered on, 'he's in a bit of a bad mood today, but no matter.' She eyed the washing that was split between her and Kel's arms. 'I'll get this lot cleaned up for you tonight, and with any luck it'll be dry by tomorrow morning.'

'Thank you,' said Kel politely, still having difficulty comprehending that this cheerful buxom woman could possibly be married to the miserable, greasy man next door.

Dumping their clothes in the basket that the woman indicated, Kel scurried back to the room that she was sharing with Alex. Her friend was still asleep when she entered, so Kel crept quietly into the room and shut the door gently. There was an armchair near to the fire and Kel curled herself up, enjoying the heat emanating from the grate.

Staring into the fire, her chin resting on her knees, Kel wasn't sure what she found so mesmerising about flames, but she knew that when her eyes were occupied with their dancing colours, her mind was free to wander. Kel found herself thinking of Isra, Hal and Meah, of the family that she had left behind. She had promised Isra that she would return, but would that ever be possible? She had also promised Neal that she would return, but now that Kel found herself caught up in Alex's cause, sworn to fight alongside him, would she survive long enough to see that promise through?

She tried to picture Neal and her other page training friends in her mind's eye but it was becoming increasingly difficult, the images were blurry and unfocused. She sighed to herself. Recently she'd been so caught up in the present that she'd begun to forget the past. There had been a time, a year or two ago, where she couldn't sleep without remembering her failure to try for knighthood. Now, her musings were filled with bloody corpses, downtrodden slaves…images that filled her with a righteous anger, at the injustice. It was only this anger and her hatred of Maggur that stopped Kel from being overwhelmed with despair at the enormity of what she and Alex were trying to achieve.

_They're all finishing their final year of page training, _thought Kel with a jolt. Soon Neal, Merric, Seaver and Esmond would all be squires. They still seemed so young in Kel's mind…so blissfully ignorant of what was happening up here in the north. She couldn't imagine them out here in Scanra, in the wilderness, facing Maggur's armies…_And that's the reason why we must keep fighting, _remembered Kel, _so that when they have to face Maggur they're prepared._

Kel's thoughts were interrupted by a strange noise. It was Alex, and he was whimpering. The noise was barely audible, but in the quiet of the room Kel could hear it. Getting up, Kel walked over to the bed. Alex's hands were clenched tightly into fists and his face was screwed up, his handsome features contorted.

'Hey,' said Kel, reaching for Alex's balled up fist.

Alex woke with a start, his eyes opening wide, sitting up so suddenly that Kel leapt backwards. His hazel eyes filled with confusion.

'You were having a nightmare,' said Kel gently, stepping forward again to perch on the bed next to him.

Alex ran a hand through his tousled hair and looked up at the ceiling, blinking back tears. Kel pretended not to notice, and instead threaded an arm around her friend. Alex let his arm drop until it was around Kel's shoulders and they held each other close.

'I keep seeing them,' said Alex gruffly, 'the terror on their faces…' Kel tightened her embrace involuntarily. 'The blood on my hands, their blood on _my_ hands…'

'It's _not _your fault,' Kel interrupted vehemently. 'It's all Maggur's, _he_ spilled their blood and _he _will answer for it. We won't forget Alex, we'll make him pay.'

Alex sighed, and after a pause changed the subject. 'Are you hungry?'

If Kel had been asked a few minutes earlier then she would have replied instantly with a "yes", but she now found that she'd rather lost her appetite. Kel shook her head.

'No,' said Alex, 'me neither.'

* * *

Kel ogled at the sight that lay before her. If she hadn't known before, the last week or so had taught her the true meaning of wilderness. They had passed for days without signs of human existence. The continually wintry weather, snowstorms and howling gales had stretched her endurance to the limit.

With the exception of the one night that they'd spent at an inn, Kel and Alex had been roughing it, huddling in the small tent, night after night, buried deep in their bed rolls.

Now however, great stone fortifications rose out of the early morning fog ahead of them, and Kel could see the town of Somalkt stretching up into the sky. The clan's home was build upon a natural rise in the land, giving Kel the impression of a fort more than anything.

'Impressed?' asked Alex, glancing sideways at Kel who shrugged in return.

'What are we doing here?' asked Kel.

'How good is your mathematics?' replied Alex.

'Pardon?'

'How good is your mathematics?' repeated Alex.

'Reasonably good,' replied Kel, thinking back to days of being locked inside with tutors or Mithran priests.

'In that case you are going to learn to be an apprentice clerk.'

'Okay,' Kel said slowly, 'and you want me to keep my ears open as I work?'

'You've got it in one,' replied Alex. 'I'm going to continue to ride as I have an important meeting with the clan chiefs of the north, but I'll be back by Spring.'

Kel's heart plummeted at the thought of Alex leaving again.

'Rhonda will be around if you need anything,' he assured her, almost detecting Kel's change in mood. 'I'm not abandoning you completely.'

Kel nodded and kicked her horse towards her new home.

Three hours later, Kel stood opposite a grey-haired man who was seated at his desk. Her crisp new uniform felt unworn and strange. It reminded her strongly of her first day at the Palace; the new clothes, the new bedroom, new faces and a new master.

'How good is your reading?' barked the man suddenly.

'Alright sir,' said Kel.

'You can write?'

Kel nodded, thanking the Goddess that Scanran was a phonetic language and was fairly easy to translate speech into written words.

The man gestured to a piece of paper and a writing stylus on the desk in front of him.

Kel dipped the nib into an inkpot and copied out the paragraph that was indicated, printing letters in a small, neat script with embellishes on the capital letters. The head clerk glanced over her work and appeared to be satisfied.

'I'm going to put you under the guidance of Djamel who writes the requisitions for the supplies of various groups within the clan.'

Kel ducked her head, not entirely sure what this job entailed.

'Your working hours will be from the ninth bell to the twelfth. You may please yourself in the afternoon, but from the seventh afternoon bell you may be needed to scribe the minutes of any meetings that occur.'

Kel nodded and listened to the rest of the man's speech without saying another word. Her expression was interested but that did not reflect how she felt inside. She was becoming adept at slipping into roles; this time Liana the apprentice clerk. Kel had mastered the art of separating her facial expressions from her emotions and now, even though her face was earnest, Kel was impatient. She couldn't wait to leave the stuffy office and perhaps find somewhere to practice her swordplay, or maybe even have a snoop around.

Upon leaving the office ten minutes later, Kel managed to return to her lodgings without getting too lost. She was to share a dormitory with six other young women employed by the clan as maids, cooks and healers.

As the midday bell had already rung, Kel realised that she wasn't required to present herself to Djamel for at least six hours. The dormitory was cold and empty, so Kel hurriedly changed, shivering as the cold air hit her bare skin.

Once garbed in a comfy pair of breeches and a thick sweater, she pulled out her sheathed sword from underneath the mattress. Pausing only to pull her hair into a hurried braid, Kel slipped unseen from the main building.

She walked the bustling streets, her senses overwhelmed by the sights, smells and noises of the new clan. People were calling out on either side of her in slightly accented Scanran. Kel strode purposefully, knowing that the more you tried to pretend that you didn't exist, the more attention you would draw to yourself.

She tramped along the slush-covered streets, her breath rising in furls in front of her. On either side of the street were shops with their wares proudly displayed on stands and stalls. People chatted and bartered, exchanging goods and money. There was so many people, so many people living normal lives. It was a stark contrast to the quiet village of Redroc or the hellish slave plantation at Gentlund.

Since Alex hadn't hung around; riding off as soon as he'd secured her an apprenticeship as a clerk, Kel had decided to find somewhere else to hone her swordplay skills. There was only so much you could learn from drills and solo practise; it was important for Kel to gain practise against real opponents.

It was for this reason that she had sought out the busy practice courts that lay in front of her. Kel had reasoned that since fighting was one of the things that Scanrans valued most, it would be logical for there to be a communal place for the young men of the clan to fight and train.

However, finding the place had been the easy part. Now she was stuck with the task of finding someone to practise with. Steeling herself and displaying a "couldn't-care-less" expression upon her face, Kel marched across the busy grounds, looking all around for a suitable opponent.

Several heads turned as she walked past, but she ignored them, heading for an area where other men seemed to be warming up. Her head held high, Kel unsheathed her sword and began to warm herself up. She hoped that her proper warm up would convince the other fighters that she was serious.

When Kel could prolong her warm up no longer, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and peered through her lashes at the men who seemed to be available for a duel.

'Fight with me?' Kel directed the question at a man in his early twenties who had just won against an older man.

'With you?' he asked surprised, running his eyes from Kel's determined face to her sensible boots. Shrugging he followed Kel into a space on the large open practice court.

Kel let out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding and prepared herself to fight. She bowed shortly to her opponent and he did the same in return.

They bought their swords up, and the fight began. Kel started out sensibly, not taking risks and batting away the man's attacks with strong blocks. He was quick, not as quick as Alex, but clearly he'd grown up with a sword in his hand.

The duel continued in a fierce exchange of complex moves, their bodies engaged in a dance, the like of which only a swordsman could truly appreciate. Breathing hard, Kel allowed her limbs to take control, absorbing herself utterly in the power and accuracy of her movements.

What seemed like seconds later, although in reality it was much longer, a bell rung loud and clear across the practice court and Kel's opponent backed off, holding Kel's sword still and halting the duel.

'I've got to go,' he panted, eyes crinkled at the edges, full of respect. 'We'll continue this tomorrow?'

Kel nodded, allowing herself to smile. 'Same time, same place.'

He mock saluted her and turned on his heel, dashing away. Kel watched him go, the smile still on her face. She had found acceptance in that man at least. The blood still alive in her veins, her muscles tensed and ready to fight she turned back to the men who had been watching, searching for a new opponent.

Having observed her in action, Kel didn't have a problem in finding opponents to occupy her next four hours. She won the majority of her matches, but most had been hard fights. Towards the end, Kel's arms were aching and her attacks slowed dramatically, something which cost her several duels.

When the sixth bell boomed out across the court, Kel excused herself and returned to her dormitory, a spring in her step. All the way back, her mind buzzed furiously with ideas of ways to improve her stamina. Early morning runs, arm exercises and hours of duels would occupy her days for months to come.

By the time she had cleaned herself up and found the dining room Kel had very little time to actually eat anything. She gulped down some spicy stew, burning her mouth in the process and practically sprinted to the clerk's wing. Kel knocked on the door her eyes still smarting from the stew's spices and upon invitation entered the office.

Djamel was a kindly gentleman, who looked remarkably similar to Kel's grandfather on her mother's side. They shared the same scarcity of hair and portly stomach.

'Well come on, these calculations won't work themselves out.'

Kel scurried over and seated herself opposite her master.

'Right, today we're working out the kitchen's budget for the coming week…' It took Kel over an hour to use algebraic formulas to calculate the money that would be needed to provide lunch for the clan house's employees and occupants.

Djamel checked her workings occasionally and corrected Kel when she went array. When Kel heard the bell ring again –she noted that the Somalkt clan seemed to run by the hourly bell- Djamel stood up and wiped his ink-stained hands on a cloth.

'We're now scribing at a meeting between the blacksmith's guild master and the clan's treasurer. I want you to take notes as best you can and we'll see how you get on.'

And so Kel's evening passed. She quickly learned that it was impossible to transcribe the conversation that occurred word for word, and had to make do with her own abbreviations, even on some occasions scribbling the Yamani symbol because it would take her too long to spell the Scanran version.

Despite Kel's initial doubts, the meeting didn't turn out to be boring. Her hands were kept full by her constant note-taking, but the politics and diplomacy employed by the clan treasurer fascinated Kel. It reminded her of her father, a diplomat by trade. She had had years of experience watching him solve everything tactfully and recognised a master at work. The disgruntled guild master left looking slightly mollified and the treasurer breathed a sigh of relief.

'Well that's _that _sorted. It's been coming to head for weeks.' He addressed Djamel. 'I see that you've got yourself an apprentice…'

'That's right,' replied the older man, adding the finishing touches to his notes. 'We'll make a head clerk of her yet.'

'Hmm,' the treasurer cast an appraising eye over Kel. 'What's your name girl?'

'Liana,' replied Kel demurely without a second thought.

'So why do you want to be a clerk?' he asked idly.

'It makes sense sir,' said Kel looking down at her ink-blotched scribbles.

'What does?'

'The numbers and letters sir, I understand how they work. I always have.' Kel shrugged, looking up at Djamel, 'Ma always said to play to your strengths.'

'Wise words,' replied the old man gathering up his writing tools. 'We'll finish this tomorrow,' he said with a yawn. 'You can get an early night.'

Kel bowed politely and scuttled out of the room, maintaining her timid pretence.

'You're late,' he accused her.

Kel shrugged, 'I'm here now.' Djamel had released her late, after making her check through the final copies of the kitchen's budget and then copy them out several times so that they could be sent to various official personnel.

Now, down on the practice courts again, Kel warmed up quickly and launched into a continuation of the previous day's duel.

Today, the man was deciding to focus on the strength of his attack, trying to tire her out. Kel combated this by speeding up her attacks, her sword never pausing to allow him to press it to the side.

She tried to use some of the more complicated drills patterns that Alex had taught her, in the hope that the man would be caught off guard, but he seemed to recognise the moves and blocked her before she'd had a chance to gain the advantage.

In the end it all came down to a split second where Kel hadn't bought her sword up fast enough. His weapon snaked in and came to rest on the exposed skin in the "V" of her shirt, just below her collarbone.

'I yield,' she said, stepping back to bow respectfully.

'Well fought,' he congratulated her, his vowels round and broad. 'I haven't had a fight like that for a while.'

'Me neither,' said Kel truthfully; her matches against Alex had never lasted that long.

'I'm Tor,' said the man extending a large, callused hand.

'Ana,' replied Kel accepting the handshake. She had decided the previous evening to abbreviate Liana to Ana, simply because Lia had been a different place, a different person. Sometimes it was time for a change.

'Who taught you to fight like that?' Tor asked. 'It's not often that we see women fighting.'

'My brother practises with me,' explained Kel, wondering how far Alex had travelled and whether he missed her as much as she missed him.

* * *

**(-a/n-** I finally completed this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, despite the long wait. Please leave a review to cheer me up; the amount of work that I have to do between now and my exams is thoroughly depressing…)

**Confusedknight xx**


	40. Son of Somalkt

**(-a/n- **Wow! Chapter forty already…which seems an incredibly high number, although it seems like I've been writing this forever!

Sorry for the massive delay in updates; I feel so mean, but really exams had to come first. However, now I am free! (Or at least a lot freer than I was.) And now writing is top on my list of priorities, so I'm going to be updating very regularly, trying to make up for all of the missed updates.

Thanks for all of your reviews and messages that you've sent me. I've appreciated every single one of them, and although I haven't been writing anything, I've been thinking about Fallen a lot, and am incredibly excited as to the plot unfolding…

My thanks go to all of these wonderful people;

**DramoSkye****, ****NorikuKitsune****, ****Opal-169****, ****Brokenflamesrebel****, ****this fish flies****, ****Lady Mage****, The knights who until recently said Ni, ****Geminia****, ****Tearainy****, ****Fariy Lights****, ****Kyubbi-Sama****, ****dares to dream****, ****Anzy****, ****killing u with umbrellas****, ****Flyer without Wings****, ****AnGeL oF mAdNeSs****, ****LadyKnight44****, ****clurr****, ****SassyAni****, Pepper Lemon, ****Skyline Romance****, ****milky way bar****, ****littlefreeeagle****, elf warrior princess, Orohippus, ****seekerchick06****, ****queenofspades19****, ****EmpressOfPudding****, ****Feed The Foxes****, ****Da Lady Vitch****, ****xxTunstall Chickxx****, ****Dom-Basher CHAMPION****, ****gaya2081****, ****Venuspixie****, ****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****, ****JaBoyYa****, ****Lady Grace of Masbolle****, ****Cheeseycraziness****, ****truffletruffle01****, ****LadyKnightOpal****, ****SarahE7191****, Me, ****Erynfaer****, ****jayley****, ****Golden23****, ****Firgof Raina****, ****Transfiguration****, ****stoictimer****, ****Lady Knight Keladry****, Hunchbook, ****BlackWidow12****, ****abyssgirl****, ****SavingSaturn****, ****Hisshou****, Jassa, ****Yabberli****, ****Forget Me Not Blue****, ****berndi****, ****skyflyte12****, ****Dreamwings****, ****peddyviolin****, ****mountainelements****, inktounge58, ****rootless californian****, ****katiebug123****, ****Minathia****, ****13.shimer.13****, ****. . . and I Feel Fine****, ****Lady Zarobiti****, MysticMoonEmpress, ****Beaux717****, ****Bradhadair fire starter****, ****Mint Tea Rose****, Tierchen, ****epobbp****, ****Pie of Doomeh****, ****elfie-may****, ****Aly-Of-Tortall13****, ****Kiley 1 09****, ****Lady Knight Jocelyn****, vballmania23, ****filly8****, ThayetsDressmaker, ****bookworm-4-ever2012****, ****sillygoose2332****, ****jesi ki kage****, ****Shang Leopard****, clover, GIGI DOLL, ****Horseluvr13****, ****youdontwant2no****, mylovelyminion, hahasxybitch, ****Drunken Little Monkey****, ****DaughterofDeath****, ****Hasamaki****, ****shadowstorm13****, ****Evil Bunny of Death****, ****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****, ****MoonGoddessBookworm****, ****crazilyinsanelady****, ****stardust718****, ****SaoirseWaveglow****, ****The Shang Kudarung****, charity, ****The-Muse-In-Me****, ****xMidnight Angelx****, Vicky, ****xXxCrazyBookwormxXx****, ****silvericedrop****, ****Kokari****, Krae Z. Rokke, ****seven3eight****, Delaney, ****summre****, ****Kelss6692****, ****Erytha****, ****PlaidPanda543****, gems, tomboy, ****winglessfairy25****, ****Devil's Daughter911****, ****xxSassyActressxx****, ****Mandaius Meander****, ****brezzybrez****, ****On top of cloud 9****, ****0-Silver Goddess-0****, ****Bandaged In Blood****, ****oirishgoddess****, ****NotAfraidToLive****, ****BACswimma****, Arianna, invertedcompass, ****Aqua-lily6****, elle, ****princesscharmed2008****, ****In the Silence****, ****Lady Sapphirea****, ****wild wolf free17****, ****5253Racer****, ****dovasary76****, ****lady kight jacky cullen**** & ****addicted2TPierce****.**

I hope you continue to enjoy it :D

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Tor looked up from his conversation just in time to see someone come racing down the street. Her leather shod feet barely made a sound as she almost flew across the earthen road and the tousled light-brown hair that streamed out behind her was tangled, giving her an almost wild look.

He wondered briefly how old she actually was. About five feet and five inches tall, and extremely skinny, Tor wondered how old his friend was. It was a stage of growth where she could be anything from twelve to eighteen.

Now, as he looked on, she vaulted the low practice court fence and skidded to a stop in front of Tor and the men that sat next to him. He examined her flushed face. The long-lashed hazel eyes, full lips and a dusting of freckles did not appear to be the face of the fighter. But a slight crook in her nose and a scar above her eyebrow begged to differ.

Despite her passive face, the hazel eyes that flicked from face to face were intense, hiding carefully guarded emotions that only flashed to the surface occasionally.

'Sorry,' she gasped. 'I got lost somewhere down in the jewellers' district.'

The men chuckled, getting to their feet. 'Tor's been waiting for competition,' said an older man. 'He's already bested us all this morning.'

Her hazel eyes settled on him; a smile evident in them today. 'Well I'll try not to let him win another,' she said, stretching her arms behind her back.

'Are you ready Ana?' asked Tor, five minutes later, watching the young enigma before him finish her stretching.

'As I'll ever be,' she replied, shaking her arms loose and unsheathing her sword.

The men all stopped their fights, watching, waiting. The duel started slowly, and picked up speed.

This was the eighth day that Kel had met the fighters out here on the courts. Not everyone came everyday, and she had had a variety of practice partners that spanned almost a forty year age group.

Young fighters, like Tor, were good for building up speed and coordination, whereas the older fighters, whom Kel could defeat through pure speed, had been eagerly teaching her new sequences and passes. It was a good combination and Kel could feel herself improving daily under their guidance.

Kel lost the first duel, mistiming a move slightly, which gave Tor the opening that he needed. However, to her surprise, she won the second duel, earning her a round of applause from the spectators.

However she quickly lost the third duel and, her muscles trembling from the exertion, sat down to rest. Andir handed her a glass of water, which Kel accepted gratefully.

'Shall we have a group fight?' suggested Andir. 'If Tor doesn't have to rush off anywhere today…'

The other men agreed. They exchanged their live blades for practice ones; with multiple duellers the risk of injury multiplied somewhat. Then, armed with wooden blades, they split into two teams of five.

Tor and Kel were placed on opposing teams and soon the match began. It was different from free duelling, and the fighters had to increase their awareness, so that they concentrated not only upon their own duel, but also what was going on around them.

Being identified as a key fighter in her own team, Kel often had to hold her own against two or more opposition, before help arrived. Soon the teams had been whittled down to three on each side. Tor, who had avoided Kel up until this point, engaged her sword for the first time.

Kel, aware that the comrade next to her was losing his fight, felt that it would be best to try and beat Tor straight out. She chanced a powerful swing for the edge of his practice blade and, through pure luck perfected the strike, wrenching the wooden weapon out of Tor's hand.

Victorious Kel darted forward, and Tor stepped out of the melee bowing. Kel watched him go for a split second, still shocked that her tactic had worked. Unfortunately, a second later, she had a sword pressed to her own neck. She lowered her own weapon, and turned slowly to see who it was that had "killed" her. It was Jareid, a man of thirty or so, who was friends with Tor. He did what Kel had not, and darted back into the battle immediately to face the two surviving members of Kel's team.

Exhausted, and prepared to call it a day, Kel returned her practice sword to the barrel and picked up her own weapon from the dirt.

'I should probably get back,' said Kel regretfully, thinking that she needed time to clean herself up before her evening meal.

Her blonde haired friend clapped her on the shoulder and they parted. As Kel left the courts and began to jog back up the hill to her quarters, she turned back to see the four men still locked in combat. She smiled. Life in Somalkt was suiting her far better than she could ever have imagined.

The people all around her appeared happy, getting along with their everyday life in the practical way that Scanrans seemed to have. The camaraderie and friendship that she'd found on the practice courts here startled her. The men were all focused on one aim; becoming the best swordsmen that they could be. If Kel could practise from sunrise till sunset, she reckoned that there would always be someone around to fight with. She wondered if that was how Alex had lived in Rathhausak…

* * *

Dinner flew by in a whirl of listening to the gossip of the other serving girls. Kel nodded and laughed in all the right places, adding her own input here and there, not drawing too much attention to herself.

In truth the secrecy surrounding the running of the clan seemed to be well guarded, and Kel was beginning to think that her chances of finding out useful information for Alex were looking slimmer and slimmer.

When she arrived at Djamel's office, a hairsbreadth before the bell rang he was already waiting at the door, arms full of writing equipment.

'Hurry, hurry,' he urged and began to stride up the corridor, Kel jogging behind to keep up. 'We're needed to scribe at a meeting between Chief Gemmell and the heads of the military.'

Kel's interest was piqued. Finally she might learn something interesting, not just the price of sugar beet, or the current taxes on copper.

They entered a grand meeting room and Kel bowed deeply, copying her teacher. She smoothed her hands on her royal blue tunic, pretending to be nervous and scurried after Djamel. They were seated, midway down the table and Kel was surprised to find that a place had been set aside for her too.

Djamel passed Kel some thick parchment and a fine goose feather quill.

'You're going to scribe this meeting by yourself,' he whispered. 'I will be sorting out paperwork for the Chief.' The old clerk indicated a stack of documents on the table in front of him.

'Use the shorthand that you've been practising,' Djamel instructed.

Kel nodded.

Seconds later, a military looking man strode through the door, bowing briefly. He filled the final seat at the table, and the chatter died down, waiting for the Chief to begin.

'This meeting takes place at ten minutes past the seventh bell,' announced the herald. 'In the presence of chief Gemmel, his son and heir Torrien, General Hurth, Commander's Lene and Pyrin…' -The list went on, Kel scribbling so fast that flecks of ink spattered her pristine uniform.

The meeting began and Kel didn't have time to look up from her work. The speech came in through her ear and was transferred to paper through scribbles and squiggles that represented words.

A bell or so later, when Kel's arm was really beginning to cramp up, the meeting was put on hold, and in came several servants laden with jugs of mulled wine, ales, spicy apple juice and various sweets.

Kel didn't think that the food was meant for her and instead took the opportunity to study the company that she was keeping. The Chief, tall and imposing, sat at the head of the table. His blonde hair was flecked with grey, and a stiff moustache and beard gave his face a severe, disapproving look.

Kel brushed loose hair out of her eyes and turned to the man on Gemmel's right. Her heart missed a beat. Tor sat there, staring straight at her. Realisation hit Kel with the force of a stampeding bull. Tor was Torrien, Gemmel's son and heir to the clan of Somalkt.

He too looked equally shocked to see his practice partner sitting at the table taking notes. On the courts they were equals, here; well here they were a mile apart in status and position. Kel gulped, unable to break eye contact with Tor.

Tor looked around, glancing to see if anyone had spotted this exchange between apprentice clerk and heir to the clan. As far as he could tell, no one had noticed anything. He sipped spiced apple juice slowly, and watched Kel from over his goblet.

Kel squirmed uncomfortably inside. Why, in over a week of practising on the courts, had not a single person mentioned, that Tor was practically royalty? In the Scanran sense of things, he was. If anything happened to Gemmel it would be Tor that took over the running of the clan.

Kel stared down at her ink-stained hands. There was no mistaking that he knew who she was. Before her relationship with him on the practice court had simply been friends. She didn't think that Alex could find any harm in that. But he was Gemmel's _son!_ And Kel doubted that Alex was going to be too pleased when he found out. She had effectively blown her cover.

When the meeting started up again, it took all of Kel's attentiveness to keep on top of the conversation that was flying backwards and forwards. Topics were fiercely debated over at an alarming speed and Kel knew she must document everything.

Eventually all the matters; which ranged from the weapon supplies to a suggested increase in the amount of time spent drilling the soldiers, were sorted out.

Although Kel had lost track of how many bells had rung since they'd started the meeting, her eyes were drooping which told her that it must be late indeed. All of the men bar Djamel departed, leaving Kel to hand her scribing work to her teacher.

He cast an appraising eye over her shorthand.

'Good work. Your task for tomorrow will be to write these up,' the older scribe said, indicating the many sheets clutched in his long, pointed fingers. 'Now be off with you. I'll see you tomorrow at the usual time.'

Kel bowed hastily and half stumbled, half ran back to the room which she shared with the other girls under the clan's employ.

'You're back late Ana,' mumbled the girl in the bed next to Kel.

'The meeting went on for a long time,' yawned Kel sleepily, pulling on her nightshirt and slipping into bed.

'Good night,' whispered Eyrn from her bed to Kel's left.

'Night,' murmured Kel, before falling into dreamless slumber.

* * *

The next morning Kel tried to absorb herself in her work, trying not to think about the inevitable awkward meeting between Tor and herself. When she handed over the finished transcript of the meeting, it took her a few seconds to realise that Djamel had dismissed her for the day.

Feeling too anxious to eat anything, Kel collected her sword and headed down to the practice courts at a much more dignified pace than she had done the previous day.

It being much earlier than she usually arrived, Kel found herself looking at new faces; people she hadn't met before. After scanning the area twice, Kel concluded that Tor had not been released from whatever it was that he did as the son of a clan chief.

It suddenly dawned on her that Tor held the same rank that Alex would've held back when he lived at Rathhausak. Kel wondered how much of a resemblance _that_ Alex would bear to the one she knew, the one who had come so far and seen so much.

_You can't grow up in this world without things affecting you, _Kel thought, knowing that she was living proof. Sometimes the girl that she saw in the mirror was not one who had grown up with two loving parents in the luxury that befitted the noble born.

It was odd, the many disguises that she had played…How rarely her exterior reflected what she felt inside…how her facial expressions and emotions could be disconnected so easily…how the only time she felt truly herself was when she had a sword in hand…

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Kel spun around, aware that she had been standing at the side of the court staring into nothingness. Tor stood before her, his blue eyes watching her guardedly from beneath his wild locks of blonde hair.

'Shall we go for a walk?' he suggested simply.

Kel nodded.

They ambled along through the bustling streets, each acutely aware of the busy town humming and thriving all around them.

'How many people live here?' asked Kel after several minutes.

Tor glanced up in surprise, as though he hadn't been expecting her to speak.

'Around two and a half thousand,' was his reply.

They continued on in silence. It was a bright day and the sun warmed their faces as they walked. Now that it was late February, the snow that had covered the roofs of the buildings for the last three months was dripping down onto the streets below. Kel had to step carefully to avoid the rivulets of muddy water that flowing down the sloped roads.

Tor led Kel up a series of twisting lanes. At first it seemed like Tor was leading her back to the castle, but then he veered off, taking her even further up than Kel had thought possible. Just as Kel's legs were beginning to ache from all of the uphill walking, they came to a small tower where two guards stood chatting idly.

Upon catching sight of Tor, they straightened and saluted. He acknowledged their gesture and steered Kel through the archway and into the dimly lit interior. They climbed up the stairs until they immerged into the blinding sunlight of the roof.

There was a guard here also, but after seeing Tor and sending a curious glance Kel's way he clattered down the stairs leaving them alone.

Kel watched him go and then looked around her. Seeing how high up she was, Kel stepped closer to the edge of the platform and gazed around, temporarily overcome by the fantastic view.

'This is the highest point in Somalkt,' explained Tor softly. 'I like to come here to think.'

Kel could see the whole town sprawled out below her. The only other building which came near the tower in terms of height was the castle, which sat slightly to the south of the tower.

Kel cast her gaze further afield, beyond the town. To the North, the land was higher and almost impassable. An imposing mountain range marred the unbroken horizon. To the south and west rugged plains stretched on as far as the eye could see, white snow with brown patches peeping through.

It was an awe-inspiring sight that made Kel feel very small. Apart from the odd black smudge of a settlement, Somalkt was the only sign that humans inhabited the hundreds of square miles of land all around them.

'It's quite a sight,' said Tor softly. 'Sometimes you can get too drawn into the city and you forget that there is a world out there.'

Kel nodded, understanding what he meant. It would be all too easy here to ignore the terrible happenings in the rest of Scanra.

'But,' Tor continued, 'I fear that if we ignore the happenings of the outside world then it could well lead to our downfall.' After a moments pause he stated, 'You're new to the city.'

Kel nodded, trying to recall exactly what she had told Tor about who she was and where she had come from.

'There's something different about you,' he said. 'I noticed it the first time that I met you.' He frowned slightly, staring down at his smaller companion. 'You're always alert and you fight with a sincerity that I rarely see in our soldiers. Where have you come from?'

'Dundine,' replied Kel, speaking at last.

'And?'

'And what?'

'Is it true the rumours that we hear of terrible things occurring out there?' he gestured at the landscape surrounding them.

Kel paused for a second and then decided to be truthful. She nodded.

'On our journey here,' she said slowly, 'we passed through a village. An ordinary village, one with nothing special, nothing unique about it. But all the villagers were dead. They'd all been killed, down to the last mother and child.' She stared hard into the distance, battling against the tears that were welling in her eyes. 'Their bodies were just strewn _everywhere_…' Kel couldn't continue. The memories were too fresh and it hurt too much...

'And who committed such an atrocity?' asked Tor, his voice hard.

'There was a note…a note pinned to a man's chest. Maggur of Rathhausak claimed responsibility.'

Tor let out a stream of expletives. 'We've heard rumours, been debating for months what we should do about the growing threat…' he trailed off, suddenly aware that he was discussing matters with an apprentice scribe.

Kel wanted desperately to warn him, to tell him about Sekholm and the massive armies she knew Maggur was building up. But she held her tongue. It would be for Alex to decide what the leaders of Somalkt should know.

Neither of them spoke, and they stood for a while, letting the nippy eastern wind tug and tease at their clothing. Kel inhaled the fresh air deeply.

'Just make sure that we're prepared,' she said quietly, unable to help herself. 'Those villagers weren't…and they paid the price.'

'Our army is seven hundred strong,' said Tor proudly. 'Any clan chief, Maggur of Rathhausak or not, would think twice about making an enemy of Somalkt.'

Kel hoped against hope that these words were true, although she knew that in reality Maggur would have plans for Somalkt. Whether it be next week, or in two years time, Somalkt would fall under his banner.

'But that's not really why I wanted to talk with you,' said Tor, finally broaching the topic that had hung above their heads for the last hour. 'From your somewhat stunned expression last night, am I correct in thinking that you weren't aware that I was…well that I am who I am?'

Kel nodded, tearing her gaze off of the horizon to meet Tor's blue eyes.

'Does it matter to you?' he asked.

'No,' replied Kel shaking her head. _It doesn't matter to me, _she thought, _beggar or king you're one of the only friends I've got here. I'm just worried that this might matter to Alex._

'Good.' Tor said awkwardly, wiping his palms on his shirt. 'Although with a talent like yours for the sword, you're wasted as a scribe. Would you consider a position in the army?'

Shaking her head, Kel said, 'I like my job. And besides, I'm sure not many men would want to fight alongside me.'

'I think you'd be surprised,' he replied. 'The men will respect anyone who can best them in combat.'

Kel shrugged, unconvinced. 'I'm happy as I am. Are we still okay to meet up everyday?'

'It's fine with me,' replied Tor, turning back to the stair case, 'although I'd better watch out; you're going to be a mighty fine swordsman-'

'Swordswoman,' corrected Kel.

'-swordswoman, one day.' Tor finished and smiled at his young friend.

Suppressing a blush at the compliment she asked; 'Are you free to practise now?'

'I'm sure I can delay paperwork for an hour longer,' Tor replied smiling, and together they left the watch tower.

* * *

**(-a/n- **I hope that I'm not rusty after my long break! What did you think of this chapter? I know it wasn't particularly action packed, but I'm laying the seeds for something **big!** )

As always please review and let me know your thoughts,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	41. Calm before the storm

**(-a/n- **Here it is; the next instalment! At least it was a faster update than last time! Thanks for all of your lovely reviews; this chapter's for all of **you** amazing reviewers! Every single message you left was much appreciated, so many, many thanks to;

**Jassa, ****abyssgirl****, ****mountainelements****, ****Lisbet687****, ****Cheeseycraziness****, ****Lady Knight Jocelyn****, ****shadowstorm13****, ****lady kight jacky cullen****, ****Lady Grace of Masbolle****, ****Lady Mage****, ****Firgof Raina****, Pepper Lemon, ****youdontwant2no****, ****Hasamaki****, ****SabbyRinaBanina****, ****Jaden Scorpio****, ****Venuspixie****, ****Opal-169****, ****Bradhadair fire starter****, ****dares to dream****, ****Kiley 1 09****, The knights who until recently said Ni, mashkitkat, ****xxTunstall Chickxx****, ****Geminia****, hakas, ****Fariy Lights****, ****Golden23****, ****xX Beka Cooper Xx****, ****BlackWidow12****, T.B., ****Sarkule****, ****Da Lady Vitch****, ****peddyviolin****, fallen... in love w/your story, ****queenofspades19****, ****RefurAG****, ****Shang Leopard****, ****after.a.hard.day****, ****seekerchick06****, ****SassyAni****, ****this fish flies****, ****epobbp****, ****DramoSkye****, ****Kelss6692****, ****Cede****, MysticMoonEmpress, ****JaBoyYa****, ****berndi****, ****rootless californian****, mylovelyminion, ****clurr****, ****beckysue904****, ****littlefreeeagle****, Me, ****Forget Me Not Blue****, ****SavingSaturn****, ****truffletruffle01****, ****JClayton****, ****NorikuKitsune****, ****winglessfairy25****, ****Mandaius Meander****, Vicky, ****jayley****, ****AlariaZanshin****, ****elfie-may****, ****Stoned Lorikeet****, ****prettyhowtown****, ****Pie of Doomeh****, ****PlaidPanda543****, ****13.shimer.13****, ****x17SkmBdrchiczxx****, ****BACswimma****, ****BookQn****, ****bookworm.amm****, ****Erytha****, ****Krae Z. Rokke****, ****ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS****, ****bookworm-4-ever2012****, ****.yashamew****, ****Horseluvr13****, ****MoonGoddessBookworm****, Pat Bryans, ****The Shang Kudarung****, ****Mint Tea Rose****, ****Silvertongued Wolf****, ****Erisna Deathclaw****, ****xxSassyActressxx****, ****katzechan****, ****oirishgoddess****, ****Skyline Romance****, ****5253Racer****, ****xXxCrazyBookwormxXx****, ****Erynfaer****, ****Yabberli****, ****On top of cloud 9****, ****Lady Zarobiti****, ****Kaia Papaya****, gems, ****milky way bar****, ****Feed The Foxes****, elle, ****brezzybrez****, Bort, ****killing u with umbrellas****, ****FalshingLight****, ****Blood Tainted Angel****, ****Drunken Little Monkey****, ****Evil Bunny of Death****, Eternityfalls, ****Gallan Princess****, tomboy & ****EmpressOfPudding****.**

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Sweat plastered Kel's hair to her forehead and she could feel heat radiating off her cheeks. She had been fighting with Tor for over two hours, stopping infrequently to gulp down some water.

Kel was now winning over half of her fights with Tor, spurred on by the feeling that they were all living in the calm before a storm.

That afternoon, having done a thorough warm down, Kel headed back to the castle alone. She weaved her way through the smaller streets, following a quicker route that she discovered several days earlier.

Before she knew what had happened, a hand was over her mouth and a pair of arms was dragging her backwards. Instinctively Kel planted her feet as best she could and twisted, half-wrenching her attacker off of her. She threw a wild punch that missed and reached for her sword. A dagger was at her throat before she could so much as lay her hand upon it's hilt.

'Careless,' snapped a familiar voice, lowering her dagger. 'Talented swordswoman or not, it wouldn't take much to kill you.'

'What are you doing here?' asked Kel blankly.

Rhonda pulled down the scarf that obscured her face.

'Waiting.' She said shortly.

'But-'

'Let's continue this somewhere a little more private,' interrupted Rhonda, grabbing Kel's arm and striding off down the road.

It was a short walk before Rhonda entered a dingy lodging-house and pulled Kel along the corridor into a room that smelt vaguely of onions.

'Waiting?' asked Kel, continuing as though the conversation had not been interrupted.

Black sparkling magic encased the room with a click of Rhonda's fingers.

'I arrived here from Toishore about two weeks ago,' said Rhonda, removing her cloak and boots. 'Alex and I arranged to meet here on the first day of April.'

'That's just over a week's time,' said Kel slowly, working it out in her head. 'Yes, nine days from now.' Her heat leapt at the thought of seeing Alex again.

'I expected you to be with him,' said Rhonda, 'but I'd heard talk of a girl who was as good as Torrien and thought it might be worth checking if it was you or not.'

Kel looked surprised, and Rhonda laughed bitterly.

'This isn't your precious Tortall; there aren't lady warriors everywhere. Besides it would take a very skilled fighter indeed to best the heir to a clan; why they practically grow up with a sword in their hand.'

Kel didn't know what to say. She hadn't seen Rhonda for a year and it was a shock to see this serious, prickly woman turn up into the life that she had forged for herself at Somalkt.

Rhonda stared at Kel. 'You've grown,' she stated, scrutinising the girl that she had last seen at a slave market in Gentlund. Kel still couldn't think of anything to say and picked at the sleeve of her shirt.

'So when did you last see Alex?' asked Rhonda.

'About a month ago. He collected me from Redroc and we travelled here.'

'Redroc?' Rhonda said in the tone of voice that suggested she was trying to remember something important. 'Isn't that where Marthea's little girl is living? Jacqui I think her name is…'

'Marthea's daughter? Marthea the cook from Rathhausak?'

Rhonda's head snapped up to stare straight at Kel. 'He told you then?' She said tentatively.

Nodding, Kel looked down at her feet.

'Then you _must _see how important it is that we succeed?' said Rhonda passionately.

'The people of Scanra deserve better,' said Kel quietly. 'Back in Tortall, people call Scanrans barbarians, they don't know any better. But when I came here I found some of the nicest, most selfless people I've ever met. These people, the clansfolk, they have the right to a peaceful life, one where they are not dictated or owned. I've heard of the injustice done to you and Alex; you lost your clan, your family and I see evidence of Maggur's evil deeds. And I swear to you, like I swore to Alex that I will help in whatever way that I can to see Maggur into the Dark God's realm.'

'And I have no doubt that you'll keep that promise,' replied Rhonda in an uncharacteristic moment of gentleness. It didn't last long, within ten seconds she was back to her usual self. 'But a fat lot of good you'll be if you can be overcome by an assailant with a four-inch dagger. Do you still have your knives?'

'In my room,' said Kel fighting back a blush.

'Where they'll be a lot of use I'm sure,' said Rhonda scathingly.

Kel hid her embarrassment; it was the most basic of lessons –always carry your weapon with you.

'Now if I come at you like this…' Rhonda demonstrated, holding her dagger in a clenched fist. 'Then the simplest way to disarm me is with a simple blow to the elbow or by grabbing my forearm.'

For over half an hour Rhonda drilled Kel in the basics of dagger work and street fighting. Some of it Kel already knew, but she was very rusty. Rhonda was fast and Kel sometimes had difficulty in pulling off moves accurately. However when Kel did grab a hold of Rhonda's forearm, she found that hours of training her arm muscles meant that she could easily pin Rhonda's arm still and knock the dagger away.

In the distance, a bell tolled.

'I need to get back to the castle,' panted Kel, massaging her left wrist.

'Meet me here for practise, every day at sunrise,' instructed Rhonda.

Kel knew better than to complain and leaving the room, forced her bruised body into a jog up the muddy lanes to the castle.

* * *

Now that her days were packed full of sword fighting, street fighting with Rhonda, scribe work and long runs around the city, Kel barely had time to notice the days lengthening as weeks flew by.

As the first of April drew closer, her anticipation grew; she would be seeing Alex again soon! Kel couldn't wait to be able to fight against him once more and was itching to try some of her new moves against him.

On the very last day of March, Djamel informed her that she would be allowed the next three days off. When Kel inquired as to the reason he turned round in surprise.

'It's the spring festival of course.'

Kel quickly covered her confusion, smiled, nodded and left the room. She would have to ask Rhonda about the festival; she was the only person Kel could ask without drawing suspicion to herself.

Kel's last spring had been spent on a slave plantation and Kel wasn't sure if the "spring festival" applied to the whole of Scanra, or just Somalkt.

The next morning, she got up and dressed quietly. It was still dark outside, and the very first birds were beginning to awake and call sleepily. Kel slid her sword out from under her mattress and tiptoed out of the room.

She took a long route to Rhonda's room, jogging through a maze of streets and lanes to reach her destination. Kel found it peaceful to run through the empty streets, breathing in the fresh morning air, listening only to the sounds of birdsong and the soft thudding of her feet on the earth.

By the time Kel arrived at Rhonda's it was light, a red sky stained the horizon, clouds spattered across the heavens. Kel entered the room, breathing in the characteristic smell of onions. Almost as soon as she did so, something moved to Kel's left. Instinctively she turned and just got her arm up in time to ward off Rhonda's blow. She pivoted to gain a firm stance. Rhonda was using her weight to bear down on Kel her free hand fastened to Kel's, pulling Kel off balance.

Feeling herself teetering, Kel lashed out in a kick that Fassin had taught her over a year previously. Rhonda fell, taking Kel with her. Together they rolled over and over, wrestling.

Kel smashed the hand that held the dagger to the floor, over and over until it spun from Rhonda's grip. Somehow Kel managed to unsheathe the dagger from her own wrist strap and she held it to Rhonda's neck, panting.

'Alright, alright,' huffed Rhonda, as Kel removed her weapon from the older woman's neck. Kel picked herself up and dusted off the knees of her breeches.

'Well I can't say that you don't pick things up fast,' admitted Rhonda grudgingly, sending a spark of her own black fire to heal her bruised hand.

'Only when I have good teachers,' said Kel bowing.

Rhonda ignored the compliment.

'I wasn't sure if you'd be coming today,' I thought you might be preparing for the spring festival.

'What is the spring festival?' asked Kel.

Rhonda stared at Kel suspiciously, as though trying to detect a joke.

'You don't have a spring festival in Tortall?'

'No,' said Kel, wishing that Rhonda could just answer her question.

'It's a three day festival,' Rhonda explained. 'We get together and thank the gods that we've survived the harsh winter.'

Kel, by now had a pretty good idea of what a scanran festival entailed; singing, dancing, fighting and eating.

'And does everyone get a day off?' she asked, re-sheathing her dagger.

'Pretty much,' replied Rhonda, helping herself to a glass of water. 'There will be a few still working; guards, healers and such like. I expect you'll be invited to formal celebrations up at the castle, but there will be street parties going on all over the city.'

Rhonda stood up and rummaged in her wardrobe. After a few seconds, she pulled out a brightly coloured scarf.

'Here, wear this later on,' she said, tossing it to Kel, 'everybody will be dressed up.'

Kel caught the brightly coloured bundle and laid it carefully to one side so that they could continue with her lesson.

When Rhonda declared that she had other things to be doing, Kel took the hint, gathered up the scarf and left, humming happily to herself. She was going to dump the scarf in her bedroom before getting some breakfast and wandering down to the practice courts for a long day of swordplay.

However, when she entered the bedroom she found that all of the other girls were flapping about in a state of intense activity.

'There you are Ana!' exclaimed Eyrn, glancing up. 'Leisa you must do Ana's hands too.' Eryn held up her own hands to show the inked patterns across her skin.

So Kel sat down, placed her hands in front of Leisa and watched in fascination as the girl used a brush to apply the dark red-brown ink in swirling patterns over her index finger and up across the back of her hand.

Eryn suddenly exclaimed, 'Kel what happened to your wrist?'

Kel looked down to see purple bruising just starting to appear from where Rhonda had grabbed her.

'Did a man hurt you?' asked Leisa quietly.

It took Kel several minutes to assure her concerned friends that she hadn't been attacked or assaulted by a man.

Eventually Eryn was convinced and she flopped back on her bed, sighing happily. 'I love the spring festival! No work for three days.'

The other girls murmured their agreement.

'Ana you must have something more colourful to wear,' said Naeca, the oldest of the group.

'I've got a scarf on my bed,' said Kel indicating with her head.

'That won't do,' Eryn said exasperatedly. 'Here, let me do your hair.'

* * *

When the girls left the dormitory half an hour later with Kel in tow, they headed down into the city. Kel's hair had been braided at the front by Eryn, who had also managed to entwine various brightly coloured beads and ribbons into the Kel's straggly locks.

Kel wore Rhonda's scarf as a brightly coloured sash around her waist, to brighten up her otherwise plain outfit of a shirt and loose breeches. Like all of the other girls, she had kohl outlining her eyes and a red tint to her cheeks and lips from the face paint that Naeca had carefully applied.

Crowds filled the city streets, breathing life into the clan. Kel noticed that old buildings had been painted, windows scrubbed. Players and musicians were performing on street corners with gusto and vendors wove through the masses selling sweets and snacks.

Kel could hardly believe the sights, sounds and smells all around her. It was such a contrast from the harsh life that she had believed most Scanrans led.

Chattering away happily to the three girls from her dormitory, Kel was only half concentrating on their conversation. The majority of her focus was on the crowds of people. Her eyes were searching for a familiar face; Alex had promised that he'd return today.

Growing tired of the conversation, Kel made up an excuse and left the company of Eryn and the others, slipping down a side street to Rhonda's lodging room. It was now late morning and Kel hoped that if Alex had arrived, then perhaps a room that he or Rhonda owned, would be a logical place to find him.

She knocked twice and waited for a reply.

Rhonda opened the door cautiously and scowled when she saw Kel.

'What are you doing here?' she asked.

'Seeing if Alex has arrived yet.'

'Well he hasn't,' snapped Rhonda.

'Oh,' Kel said awkwardly.

To Kel's surprise Rhonda opened her door wider and gestured for her to come in. Kel did so with caution, wondering whether Rhonda was going to turn on her and initiate another fight. She didn't.

'He might arrive today, he might not,' Rhonda began. 'But when he does arrive he'll probably find you before you can find him.'

Kel nodded, trying to suppress the feeling of disappointment that Alex might not arrive that day.

'I meant to ask you this morning if you wanted these?' said Rhonda, handing Kel two tiny golden loops.

Kel turned them over in her palm. They were earbobs.

'I don't have my ears pierced.'

'That doesn't matter,' said Rhonda, 'I can do them for you now.'

Kel looked up disbelievingly.

'Nearly every scanran girl has her ears pierced,' Rhonda explained. 'I noticed the other day that you don't.'

Truth be told it wasn't something that Kel had really considered before. She had always viewed ear bobs as frippery worn by noble ladies, but these plain, small gold loops were common enough among the working class.

'If you don't like them you can always take them out,' said Rhonda practically. 'The holes will just close up.'

Kel paused, torn with indecision.

'Hurry up and decide,' said the older woman impatiently. 'I haven't got all day.'

'Alright,' replied Kel.

Rhonda removed a sharp needle from a pouch and passed it through the flame of a candle a couple of times. She steered Kel to a chair and placed a small block behind Kel's ear.

Without warning Kel felt a stinging pain in her left ear. Deftly, Rhonda slipped a gold loop through the throbbing skin and fastened it at the back. Kel's eyes watered, but she allowed Rhonda to do her other ear.

Five minutes later she left Rhonda's room, her ears buzzing and feeling very strange indeed. Still shocked at her own actions, Kel paid a copper coin to a shopkeeper and in return received a cup of lightly spiced apple juice.

She drained the juice there and then, handing the mug back to the seller and walking away. Kel wandered slowly through the milling crowd to the practice court. However when she got there, Kel discovered that it was in the process of being fenced off into several smaller ones; undoubtedly there was going to be a tournament there tonight.

* * *

Kel was right in her assumption. That evening, after she ate a delicious meal of roasted hog and mashed potatoes in the staff dining room of the castle, Kel had returned once more to the bustling city.

By now the busy streets were lit by overhead torches and bonfires on street corners that cast a flickering yellow glow over the celebrating people. Kel had stopped several times on the way down to the practice court to join in with songs that she knew. She'd even been pulled in to dance by complete strangers before being allowed to continue on her journey.

Once at the practice court she was given a token with a number on it. The idea was that you would step up to fight matches and if you lost then you gave your token back. This would continue until there were only sixteen people left in the competition, and from there on would be formally arranged matches.

Kel stepped up, tying her sash more firmly and scraping her braided hair back into a loose horsetail. Her first competitor was a brawny man, who despite being strong, was slow and lumbering. Kel beat him easily.

He handed his token into the official that was running the court and left. Kel too, stepped off the court, but with her token still sitting safely in the pocket of her breeches.

Kel leant of the fence at the edge of the court, to get a good view of the other matches taking place, scrutinising the technique of each fighter in the hope of learning something.

'I thought I might find you here,' said Tor, amusement evident in his tone.

'You know me too well,' Kel said ruefully.

'Here.' Tor handed her a small bracelet made of brightly-coloured glass beads.

'Tor it's lovely,' said Kel softly, suddenly feeling very embarrassed that she hadn't got him anything.

He obviously sensed her discomfort and said, 'Kel you've given me more than enough over the past month.'

She frowned, confused.

'You've given me hours and hours of your practice time.'

'So have you,' Kel pointed out.

'Ah, but in a way that's my job to ensure that I'm a good fighter. You've been practising with me in between your working hours.'

Kel shook her head, giving up the argument but feeling slightly mollified.

Over the next few hours, Kel fought four more duels. Each time she beat her opponent with varying ease. The two army corporals were quickly disarmed, but the older sergeant proved to be more of a challenge. Eventually Kel's insistent attacks and constant battering at his defences won through.

Stretching out her shoulder, Kel ducked under the barrier at the edge of the court. She looked around for Tor and saw him battling furiously against a hefty blonde about twenty metres away.

Feeling thirsty, Kel squeezed and pushed her way through gaily-dressed people in search of more spiced apple juice. She ducked into a side street where there was space to breath and paused.

A hand grabbed her from behind. Without hesitation, Kel spun latched onto her attacker's arm and threw him deftly over her hip. He landed with a thud and Kel's sword point was at his throat within seconds.

Squinting down through the semi-darkness Kel froze.

'Alex?'

* * *

**(-a/n- **Yay! Alex is back! Hopefully my next update will be around Tuesday time (if I'm still alive after cycling 54 miles for charity)…when it will become clear as to what my **big **plan is. I'm very exited about chapter 43 which has been planned for over a year!! )

Please review; I love the encouragement and it does spur me on to spend hours at a time typing!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	42. Swordswoman

**(-a/n-** I know this was meant to be up yesterday, but my epic bike ride took a bit longer to recover from than initially expected! I hope you all continue to enjoy, and once again thanks for all the wonderful comments! I love you all!)

**filly8****, x17SkmBdrchiczxx, rootless californian, turnupxthemusic, rach cullen, 13.shimer.13, FalshingLight, lemy, Barnabus III, MathIsFun, SarahE7191, Aly-Of-Tortall13, 5253Racer, Kokari, Drunken Little Monkey, Vicky, elf worrior princess, AlbinoSeaOtter, twilight's reflection, Dom-Basher CHAMPION, Mystic Moon Empress, beckysue904, KlutzyQT, Mysticalflame, Book Readin' Vixen, Pie of Doomeh, dReamheart's aShes, manders, xXxCrazyBookwormxXx, Kaia Papaya, starlitenite28****, I had a name but I forgot it, shadowstorm13, youdontwant2no, Flyer without Wings****, lady kight jacky cullen, Yabberli, Mint Tea Rose, Feed The Foxes, bookworm.amm, DramoSkye, Shang Leopard, T.B., mangolady, freckles rule, killing u with umbrellas, Skyline Romance, Evil Bunny of Death, brezzybrez, seekerchick06, Golden23, littlefreeeagle, clurr, Hunchbook, Erytha, Lady Sapphirea, Bradhadair fire starter, RefurAG, Lady Knight Jocelyn, BACswimma, SaoirseWaveglow, LadyKnightOpal, xxSassyActressxx, The Shang Kudarung, AlariaZanshin, winglessfairy25, LollyDragongirl, PsychoLioness, Dreamwings, Sarkule, Forget Me Not Blue, BlackWidow12, berndi, scampneoroxy, Elearuthe, truffletruffle01, Me, JClayton, K.D. Rai, Elf-of-Sunlight, MarsOutcast, Benign tumour, Eternityfalls, Cheeseycraziness, Faia Sakura, ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, silvericedrop, Orohippus, Gallan Princess, hangout4ever, The Flying Camster, Night-Player, futilelives, Fariy Lights, Erynfaer, Lady Zarobiti, xX-Fiona-Xx, TheBrassPotato, WeridosRox14, elle, Warrior Nutmeg, epobbp, Lady Grace of Masbolle, SavingSaturn, mountainelements, InaneLunaticAndManiacal, Empress of Pudding, Frog's princess , Krae Z. Rokke, blackkat09, Pat Bryans, queenofspades19, darkjewelledassassin, Venuspixie, Jaden Scorpio, Firgof Raina, Kiley 1 09, SabbyRinaBanina, The Sherberty Lemon, Opal-169, fairydust000, oirishgoddess, JaBoyYa, Hasamaki, pinnapleonpizza, dares to dream, Cede, jayley, . . . and I Feel Fine, BookQn, Kelss6692, SassyAni, sumaviper, katieoso, Pepper Lemon, PlaidPanda543, abyssgirl, vballmania23, xxTunstall Chickxx, LadyKnightSusan, On top of cloud 9, prettyhowtown, milky way bar, Lee, Blackcat & Irish ninja chick.**

Thanks must also go to** elfie-may**, for her constant nagging at me to get this chapter done!

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Kel stared down in shock.

'Is this how you great an old friend?' asked Alex.

Kel offered him a hand mutely and pulled Alex to his feet. No sooner was he upright when she flung herself onto him, holding on tightly. Kel inhaled deeply. Alex smelt like a masculine mixture of sweat and horses.

Alex returned the hug. 'Someone's been busy whilst I've been away,' he chuckled. 'Has Rhonda been teaching you?'

'How can you tell?' asked Kel, loosening her grip.

'Oh Rhonda's thrown me many times,' smiled Alex. He held Kel at arm's length and examined her face as best he could in the poor light.

'I'm fine,' Kel assured him. 'And you?'

'Never better,' Alex grinned.

'How was your trip?'

'I'll tell you later,' he replied, slinging an arm around Kel's shoulders. 'If I'm not much mistaken, you're meant to be duelling at the moment.'

The shock of seeing Alex had completely driven any thought of the tournament out of Kel's mind. Kel made a small 'Oh' noise.

Alex began to walk out of the alleyway, steering Kel back towards the crowded practice court. Within minutes Alex was pushing Kel onto the court, to face another opponent.

It took her less than a minute to disarm the wiry man, using a "butterfly sweep" and smiling, she walked off the court, feeling her token still nestled safely in her pocket.

'Kel you've definitely-'

'Ana I was wondering where you'd got to-'

Kel's blood froze. Two voices, two names, two people who probably shouldn't meet.

Kel looked up slowly, as though dreading what she would find when she did. The crowd was still bustling around them, noisy and all jostling for a better view of the practice court. But the two blond-haired men stood absolutely stock still, staring straight at each other.

'Uh…Tor this is my brother,' Kel introduced, but neither man even acknowledged that she'd spoken.

It was Tor who spoke first. 'You're dead.' He said finally. 'You died five years ago.'

Kel's stomach sank. They knew each other. Tor knew who Alex was. She'd blown Alex's cover; why did she have to be so _stupid?_

'Maybe this isn't the best place,' said Alex quietly, looking for the first time at Kel. His expression was unreadable and his voice dangerously calm.

Tor nodded, his eyes flicking between Kel and Alex, confusion evident.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Kel followed Alex. Any second now Tor could call out, have her and Alex arrested. It would all depend on whatever Tor had heard had happened at Rathhausak. Their lives depended on hearsay and whatever connection Tor had had to Alex before this whole sorry affair had begun.

Alex led them away from the crowds, weaving through Somalkt as though he had spent extensive hours exploring the city. Tor followed his footfalls heavy as he tramped after Kel and Alex.

It wasn't until they rounded the corner that Kel realised where Alex had been leading them. It was the watch tower, where Tor had brought Kel all those weeks ago when she had first discovered who he was.

The guards didn't pose any questions when they saw who the third member of the group was. They bowed to Tor and then shut the door to the tower with a thud.

The three of them emerged onto the top platform and finally Alex turned to face Kel and Tor.

'How?' asked Tor weakly. 'They said you died. All of you.'

Alex ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the inky black sky, as though seeking strength from whatever gods he believed to be up there.

'Everyone died except me. I survived,' his tone was full of self-loathing.

'Then…' Tor was struggling with words.

'It was Maggur,' said Alex. 'He killed the Chief. Then it was Jonai who killed everyone.'

'Then why did you run? You wouldn't have left Rathhausak to Maggur.'

'I didn't have a choice,' he said heavily. 'I was hurt and rescued by a friend, but by the time that I came back, Maggur's lies had turned everyone against me.'

'Why should I believe you?' said Tor in an uncharacteristically harsh voice.'The things that I hear of the Rathhausak armies these days…How do I know that you're not lying?'

'You have to believe him,' said Kel wretchedly. 'He's done nothing but fight Maggur ever since I've met him.'

Both men's gazes dropped to Kel.

'You said that he was your brother,' accused Tor.

Kel flushed, 'not in a literal sense of things…'

'She's as good as,' said Alex. 'Tor I can't make you believe me, but can you honestly think that I would murder my whole family and then run away to leave the clan, _my_ clan, _my _Rathhausak to that' -Alex called Maggur a very rude word indeed-.

Tor stared up at the twinkling heavens, watching the stars that burnt millions of miles away. 'I don't know what to think anymore Alexei. Can I trust anyone in times such as these? I hear of the fates of other clans and wonder can anyone halt the armies that Maggur now rides at the head off?'

'We can,' said Kel quietly, speaking once more. Her tone was steady, laced with determination. 'We fought at Sekholm, and managed to escape with the majority of the clan.'

'Sekholm was a tiny clan, Maggur wouldn't have cared that much,' dismissed Tor. 'Somalkt has an army seven-hundred strong with possibly five hundred more civilians able to bear arms. One thousand-two-hundred people would be a big addition to his army.'

'If you trust me as you once did,' said Alex, 'then I will do everything that I possibly can to save Somalkt. But time is shortening. Every day Maggur's armies are stirring, restless. I fear that Somalkt stands between Maggur and his next target.'

Tor gulped, 'I cannot see my clan fall to a murdering usurper.'

'It is your choice,' said Alex. 'Either you surrender or you risk everything and stand against Maggur.'

'It is not my choice to make,' murmured Tor, 'but my father's.'

'Then you must inform him of the situation immediately. I have just come back from Maeslund. Haroi has become clan chief in the wake of his father's suspicious death. It is common thought that Somalkt is the next target of Maggur's campaign.'

Unable to hold in her question any longer, Kel asked; 'How do you two know each other so well?'

'When Birtrus used to visit my father he used to bring Jonai and Alex with him. We used to run around Somalkt together.'

'Causing havoc,' smiled Alex cautiously, remembering a distant time when his world was not so full of pain and suffering.

'Speak to your father in private,' suggested Alex. 'If you want me to leave Somalkt I will do so immediately, but I know Maggur, understand him more so than perhaps anyone else does. I could help you if you choose to fight.'

'I'm still not sure I believe you,' warned Tor.

'Yes you do,' said Kel quietly, 'because if you really thought that we were spies for Maggur then you wouldn't have let us be up here alone with you.'

'Is that so?' said Tor, raising one eyebrow.

'I've never seen Alex bested in a sword fight,' shrugged Kel.

'I have,' said Tor, his gaze softening, 'Jonai used to beat him all the time. Of course no one else could even get near the pair of them…'

'He was good,' said Alex, his voice choked.

'Which is why I find it hard to believe that Maggur killed him.'

'Oh Maggur didn't do that,' said Alex roughly, 'I killed him after he murdered Sammy. Maggur whispered poison in Jonai's ear until he killed them all. My mother, my sisters…' Alex turned away, his voice only just above a whisper. 'And then we fought. If you'd seen us fight before then it was nothing compared to how we fought that night.'

'And you won.' It was not a question.

'Just. Rhonda Evarna's maid got me out of there and we fled.'

'So where does Ana come into all of this?'

Both men turned to their young companion.

'I made Alex a deal,' said Kel quickly before Alex could answer. 'If he would give me lessons in swordplay, then I would assist him.'

'In what way?' asked Tor.

'Initially spying on Maggur's associates. But now…' Kel shrugged. 'I want to see Maggur dead and Rathhausak returned to Alex.' As an afterthought Kel added, 'My name's not Ana either, it's Kel.'

Alex glared at Kel, who met his gaze defiantly. 'I trust him Alex.'

'Did you know who I was all along?' asked Tor. 'Was that all an act?'

'No!' protested Kel. 'I had no idea that you were the son of the clan chief. I just wanted a new practice partner…'

'So that's how you met…' said Alex.

'Yes,' said Kel more irritably than she had meant to. She trusted her gut-feeling that Tor could be someone that Alex could depend upon. If only the two men were more trustful…

Eventually, after many tense minutes of conversation, the two men swore a blood oath that neither would betray the other to Maggur. They shook hands and Alex wiped his bloody one on his clean shirt.

Kel suddenly remembered that she was still meant to be participating in the tournament. After being assured by both Alex and Tor that neither would hurt the other, she hurried off, eager to be away from the unease that had settled in the air.

The two men watched her leave. They stood there together for several minutes, on top of Somalkt, surveying the glittering and dancing flames of the city below. Both tall, muscular and blonde-haired, they were physically alike. And yet one had lost everything and one was fighting to hold on to everything.

'You know I've never met anyone quite like her,' said Tor softly. They both knew of whom he spoke.

'I doubt you ever will,' replied Alex. After a pause he said. 'You know, whatever danger I put her in, whatever situation, she's never given up or complained. This isn't even her country that she's fighting for.'

'Then why does she follow you so faithfully?'

'I think I showed her a way out,' Alex said hesitantly. 'A way out of the life she had been living before, a way to help people. At heart I don't think she cares if Gentlund, Moshaus or Rathhausak has control, she just hates the injustice shown towards the people.'

'Well, whatever her motives, she's a darn good fighter,' said Tor.

'Oh yes,' replied Alex. 'She's got a winning combination; talent and more determination than I've ever seen in a single person. That girl is going places, and as she does things are going to change.'

The other man nodded in silent agreement.

* * *

The small leather purse chinked happily in Kel's hand. She hefted it, trying to guess it's weight. Not that it mattered. She threw the purse to Alex who caught it, surprised.

'It's your prize money,' he reminded her.

Kel shrugged. 'What would I spend it on?'

When Alex didn't answer, she replied; 'Exactly.'

The purse stuffed full of coins had been Kel's rewards for coming runner-up in the tournament. She had lost narrowly to a burly commander named Rennan, but the prize money was still substantial.

Now Kel and Alex were both sat, waiting in a private chamber that belonged to Tor. Although Alex appeared outwardly to be unfazed by the outcome of the meeting that was occurring between Tor and Gemmel, Kel knew that he was on edge. A lot of lives depended upon the decision of the clan chief and his son.

The door opened suddenly and Kel jumped. Alex rose smoothly to his feet and strode into the room, Kel following close behind.

Gemmel indicated that they could have a seat, but Alex ignored him, remaining stood up.

'Well?' he asked urgently.

Gemmel sighed, sensing that the Alex would not allow the topic to be delayed any longer.

'We give our people the choice,' he said. 'If the civilians want to leave then they must be allowed to do so, but the Somalkt army will defend this city until my dying breath.'

Alex inclined his head, accepting the decision.

'Our armies will be ready for him Alex,' said Tor steadily. 'We have time and forewarning; that is the most important thing. We can build up the walls, fortify our foundations. I will have every mage in this city spelling the buildings and our weapons. A hospital will be prepared, our horses readied and our soldiers training increased. We will enlist all willing men and by Mithros we'll build an army worthy of remembrance.'

'So mote it be,' murmured Alex and Gemmel simultaneously.

Gemmel called for his manservant and began handing out instructions. Over the next hour men came and went, each burdened with a specific task to perform. The head of the blacksmith's guild was charged with mass producing weapons. Gemmel's head mage was tasked with rounding up all mages and hedge witches to start upon enchantments. General Hurth, the head of the army also arrived. He was given the daunting prospect of assembling the army from the squads and weapon-bearing civilians. He had to put together cavalry, units of archers, foot soldiers, commanders…the list was endless, but the grim-faced man accepted his orders without complaint.

Kel sat to the side, observing the proceedings. She noted the way that the chief could change his tone in such a way that every minor query of a guild master was conveniently sorted out.

'You there,' said Gemmel's leathery voice suddenly, and Kel looked up.

'Yes sir?'

'Aren't you the lass that came second in the tournament?'

'Yes chief,' said Kel, meeting Gemmel's gaze.

'Good,' he said shortly. 'I want you down on the practice courts boosting moral. You're promoted to the position of Sergeant. I want you out there every hour of the day fighting, challenging the men. I'll have Lene assign you a squad.'

After a split-second pause, Kel bowed to the chief, and sensing she was dismissed, left the room.

* * *

'But why on earth would Gemmel think that I could boost moral?' asked Kel in utter confusion. 'I mean, it's not as though I'm some hero from war that they can all look up to. I'm shorter, younger-'

'And a better fighter than most of the men out there.' Alex sighed, and rubbed his tired eyes. 'Kel those men will respect anyone who can beat them on the courts. It's the way that they live, the way that they think. They've been trained to respect anyone who has talent with a weapon. If a man can beat you then you owe him your respect. It's simple'

To Kel, this was an odd concept. In Tortall your status depended, for the most part, upon which book of nobility you family was in, and the way that you behaved around court.

'Most of the men out there will have watched you fighting Rennan. From what I've heard he's won the tournament most years. And you almost beat him. You certainly beat away all of the other competition, including Tor.'

'You would've beaten me,' Kel pointed out.

'To be honest Kel, you've improved so much that I couldn't guarantee that anymore.'

Kel made a sceptical face. 'Yeah.' She said, disbelievingly.

'Just give it a chance Kel. These men are scared; a lot of them will never have seen battle before, especially the younger ones. You keep them fighting, psyched up for this battle and the odds in our favour will improve.'

* * *

'One-two-three-four,' Kel hollered. 'High-low-slice and switch. One-two-three-four…'

She had been put in charge of a squad comprised of seven regular soldiers and three volunteer civilians. Kel had been drilling them incessantly in what she thought to be the most useful sword drills. Her men were forced to rise with the sun and from then, till the time when the sun set, Kel trained them. They ran, ate, fought and relaxed together, Kel's theory being that to work as a team on the battle field, they ought to act as a team all the time.

At first this didn't sit well with some of the older men who'd been in the army for a long time. But after a week or so, they began to trust the civilians more, and when the time came for practice fights against other squads, Kel's normally came out on top.

Due to her squad's success, three days before she had been allocated a second squad to command, and now had twenty men under her charge.

'High-low-slice and stop.' Yelled Kel. 'Alright men, that'll do for today. I'll see you back here at sunrise tomorrow. There's a lovely run I want to take you all on.'

The men groaned half-heartedly and left. Once the last man had left, Kel's posture changed from that of a commander to a tired girl's. She sipped water from a pouch and winced as it slid over her raw throat.

'Hello Sergeant,' called a familiar voice.

Kel spun around to find Alex, his sword out.

'If you're not too tired?' he asked, gesturing with his sword.

'Alright,' said Kel, placing her sword in the dirt point first, so she could tie back the locks of hair that had escaped her horse-tail.

She flicked her sword up, letting it flip over once and then catching it in her right hand. Alex raised his eyebrows, impressed.

'One of my men taught me,' Kel smiled.

'You're a good leader,' said Alex, as they moved through a few warm-up passes.

Kel didn't reply, but was secretly pleased at the compliment. The weight of the responsibility that she held for the twenty men was something that worried her late at night. However, in true Kel fashion, she worked through her anxieties.

'Ready?' asked Alex.

Kel nodded, concentrating solely upon the position of her body and Alex's sword. The sword became an extension of her arm as she whipped it round rapidly, attacking without the slightest hint as to what she was about to do.

The match was so fast that Kel's brain barely had time to process the information from here senses. Her movements were autonomous, blocking Alex's strikes almost as soon as they appeared. They wove back and forth across the practice court, locked in a deadly and beautiful dance. As they both wielded live blades, the speed at which they fought was dangerous; one wrong step could result in serious injury, however both Alex and Kel had faith in their abilities.

As Alex fought, he could sense that something had changed with Kel. They hadn't fought for several months now and yet Kel's fighting style had matured incredibly. She wasn't focusing on defending, or desperately trying to stay in the duel, but rather was fighting him as an equal; confident in what she was doing.

Finally the duel was over before either of them could realise what had happened. Kel's sword was at Alex's throat. They both froze. Hazel eyes met hazel, and the world seemed to crash to a quivering halt.

Kel stumbled backward, uncoordinated in shock.

Alex's smile stretched from ear to ear. In two years he had transformed Kel from a girl desperate to learn the sword, into a woman whose fighting skills rivalled his own. _Yes, _he thought, Kel was ready for the battle of Somalkt.

* * *

**(-a/n- **So…What did you think? Kel finally beat Alex. And the next chapter is gonna be huge! I'm not sure when I'll update next, but it shouldn't be too long…)

Please review,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	43. The glory of war

**(-a/n-** Here is an extremely long chapter. It was going to be even longer, but I ended up having to split it into two chapters, I hope you don't mind... I've spent the first two days of my summer holiday writing this so I hope you all enjoy it :D It's late and I'd rather get this chapter posted than write all of the reviewers names down and have to wait till tomorrow. If you reviewed you know who you are –thanks for the wonderful encouragement.)

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

A knock on the door brought Kel back to her senses with a jump. She opened her eyes slowly. Lying on the bed, still fully clothed, Kel had been drifting somewhere between the realms of consciousness and slumber. She sat up stifling a groan; her limbs felt like they were made of lead.

The person knocked again and with an almighty effort, Kel propelled herself upwards. She grabbed her sword from where it was propped against her bed and went to the door. She had been given this room at the same time as her induction into the army; a perk of being a sergeant. Kel had moved out of the dormitory that she had been sharing straight away.

Kel opened the door a crack and upon seeing Alex's face, let it swing wide open.

Kel stepped back into the room, allowing Alex, who was carrying a large burlap sack, to come in. Like Kel he wore the navy blue shirt that signified his rank as a sergeant, and like Kel he looked dishevelled.

'Tired?' he asked.

Kel nodded wearily.

'When I hear tell of the glories of being in an army,' Alex said, 'I laugh. I laugh and I laugh because they don't know the half of it. Being in an army isn't a glorious job, it's a long hard, sweaty slog. And you know the worst of it? No matter how hard you push your men, how hard you train them, when you go into battle you will lose men.'

'I know,' sighed Kel. 'It's just the more that I work with the men…I know the names of their wives, how old their children are… I know their funny habits and quirks…and yet I also know that in a couple of weeks time any one of them could be dead. All of us could be dead.'

'It's something we as commanders have to accept,' said Alex gently.

'I know,' said Kel again.

After a moments pause Alex said; 'I took the liberty of using your tournament winnings to have you some proper armour made.'

And setting the sack on the floor, Alex drew out a breastplate and chain mail. It was made of dull, slightly blue-tinged steel. Kel stepped forward for a closer look. Alex handed her the chain mail shirt. When she looked closely Kel discovered that each individual link was much smaller than normal, making the shirt much finer and more flexible than the one she had been borrowing from the army supplies.

'Alex,' breathed Kel, 'This must have cost an arm and a leg.'

'Only one arm,' joked Alex tiredly. 'Besides it was your winnings.'

Kel pulled the mail shirt on –it fit perfectly.

'I got your measurements from the clerk that kitted you out with your uniform a few weeks ago,' he yawned. 'Try on the breastplate.'

Kel obeyed and pulled it on. Like the shirt it fitted snugly to her shape and was much lighter than Kel had expected. Although the metal looked dull, it was obviously of the same high quality as the mail; allowing it to be strong as well as light.

Kel swung her arms a few times and discovered that it didn't impede her movement in the slightest. Smiling, Kel opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say and shut it again.

Alex then handed her a pair of matching chain mail leggings, a round helmet and wrist guards. Kel was about to protest over his lavish spending when the next item Alex pulled out made her freeze.

He handed it to her and Kel took it, her hands trembling.

'Go on,' urged Alex.

Kel drew the sword from it's plain leather sheath. Blue tempered metal shone up at her from the finest blade Kel had ever laid eyes upon.

'Alex, I can't accept this,' she gasped, 'you certainly didn't pay for this with my winnings.'

'It's a present,' said Alex. 'For all you've done for me.'

Kel examined the blade even more carefully. Inscribed at the hilt it read 'You will always have the strength and courage' in tiny letters. She hefted the sword, which bore very little difference in weight to her old sword, despite it's extra two and a half inches of length.

'You can keep your old sword as a reserve,' said Alex, indicating the two swords he had strapped to his own hips.

With a feeling that it would be pointless to argue with Alex, Kel accepted the weapon.

'Meet me on the courts tomorrow morning,' said Alex 'and you can give her a try.'

'I have to train-'

'They can have a few hours off to be with their families,' said Alex. 'A couple of hours won't make much difference now.'

'Alright,' agreed Kel, sheathing her new sword.

'Now you get some rest,' instructed Alex, ruffling Kel's hair.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Alex, Kel kicked off her boots, undid her belt, removed the armour and climbed onto her bed, new sword in hand.

She unsheathed it and stared for a few minutes at the blade made from the realm's finest steel. She ran a finger over the engraving.

'Courage,' she whispered, 'I dub thee Courage.'

And laying the sword on the floor next to her bed, Kel settled down and closed her eyes. Her last thought before she slipped into oblivion was '_we've got work to do.'_

* * *

Kel swung Courage in an overhead cut downwards, her feet moving in synch with the rest of her body, creating a deadly combination. Her sword, now nearly three weeks old glittered and shone as it reflected the midday sun.

Alex completed a three-part attack, driving Kel backwards. In an attempt to combat the onslaught of blows, Kel adjusted her feet, but had miscalculated slightly. The second it took to regain her footing was the second it took Alex's sword to wind it's way to Kel's neck. His naked blade rested upon the skin above Kel's neck guard.

A smattering of applause filtered in through the senses that Kel had previously been ignoring. She stepped back and reached for a water skin. Over the past few weeks she had beaten Alex exactly four times out of countless duels they'd had together. _Still _she thought, gulping more water greedily, _four times is better than not at all. _

Without warning a deep horn sounded from the very top of the city. Everyone froze hearts in their mouths as three more notes were blown. They all knew what it meant; the enemy had been sighted.

As soon as the last note died the city folk fell into uproar, panic. The men of the army simply stood, grim-faced, acknowledging perhaps what was about to descend upon them.

'Come on,' muttered Alex, steering Kel by her shoulder through the crowd. Kel didn't need to ask where they were going; by now the path to the watchtower was familiar to her.

When they arrived at the watchtower, Kel and Alex were let in without question. On the platform at the top, Tor, Gemmel and his advisors were already stood, motionless. As Kel stepped forward she squinted into the horizon, her eyes scanning for the enemy. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, Kel saw it, stretched out in the distance, a black scar wide and advancing.

'So Maggur has come,' said Gemmel calmly. 'Place the city into lock down. Barricade the gate and get all civilians into their basements. I want the streets cleared for army use. Have the healers gather their supplies and meet in the great hall.'

Gemmel's manservant bowed and hurried off.

'He won't attack today,' murmured Gemmel. 'He will take time to set up his camp.'

Throughout the afternoon, as Gemmel had predicted, Maggur's army simply advanced until it was about seven hundred metres from the bottom of the slope on which Somalkt stood. It was the largest army Kel had ever laid eyes on.

'There's got to be at least thirty companies,' Tor had said weakly.

Near silence had descended upon Somalkt and on the wind Kel could hear the noise of Maggur's army setting up camp. She breathed in deeply; the hot air was suffocating and thick, scented with pollen and strangely iron.

Despite it being easier to defend Somalkt than attack it, the odds were stacked against them. Three thousand men, against one thousand.

The flag above Kel whipped and danced in the wind. The flag of Somalkt was navy blue with a mountain and keep emblazoned across it. Kel wondered how long that flag would remain flying. Could they last two days against the sheer numbers that Maggur had brought with him?

Through a spy glass borrowed from the watchtower guard, Kel could make out Maggur's camp much more clearly. A sea of tents carpeted the ground and hundreds of horses, thousands of men milled about. Right at the very centre of the camp flew the mighty flag of Rathhausak, an eagle soaring against a blazing red backdrop.

Earlier on, when Alex had taken a look through the spy glass his face had darkened. Kel couldn't imagine what it must feel like for Alex to be fighting against his clan. He had probably grown up with that symbol, the symbol of his inheritance and position that was now being used as Maggur's symbol of destruction.

Alex had left shortly afterwards to visit Rhonda, his face unreadable.

Kel was alone now, except for the watch captain who had been ordered to keep an eye on the army and it's movements. She let the hand holding the spy glass fall limply to her side and she sat down on the stone floor of the platform. Kel leaned her head backwards onto the cool stone of the parapet and closed her eyes.

Feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, it's bright light seeping through her eyelids, Kel wondered what it would be like in the Dark God's realm. Would this be one of the last times that she felt the sun's balmy rays?

To say that Kel wasn't scared of dying would be a lie. The fear of dying alone, in a foreign land far away from her family, simmered below the surface of her mind as she turned her thoughts to the people she knew back in Tortall.

Their faces all slid hazily across her mind's eye, somehow distorted and vague, unreal. Time had dulled the pain of leaving them all and now the void they had left behind was filled with other relationships; those she shared with Alex, Tor and strange though it may be, Rhonda.

She scrambled to her feet and allowed her legs to carry her down the steps of the tower and off through the maze of streets. Her mind was so busy that Kel barely noticed where she was going. It was only when she climbed up a set of great granite steps and entered the cool of the temple did Kel realise where she was.

Her leather shoes barely made a noise against the stone floor as she walked forward to the altar. There was a great statue of an inhumanely beautiful woman, looking proudly out at the non-existent congregation. Kel fell to her knees. It was the first time that she'd entered a temple since _that_ day. And she began to pray, mouthing the words of her pleas in a jumble of languages.

* * *

Neal slipped into the quiet infirmary, savouring the stillness and peace; it was a stark contrast to the pages wing, where all of the boys were in uproar and a state of mild panic over the end-of-year exams.

He spotted Duke Baird sorting out linen bandages at the opposite end of the ward and made his way towards his father. The Duke turned and smiled at the sight of his eldest surviving son.

'Don't tell me you've injured yourself the day before your final exams?' said Baird, straightening up.

'Must I be ill or ailing to visit my dear beloved father?' asked Neal somewhat testily.

'Not at all,' smiled the Duke. 'You're lucky; I've just finished with my last patient.'

Together father and son, almost identical in height made their way into the head healer's office. Whilst Duke Baird restocked the bandages on the shelf, Neal sprawled on a chair, his long legs crossed at the ankles, hands resting on his stomach.

Just then the door at the opposite end of the infirmary swung open and in clattered three men; two guards and a cuffed, limping man.

'He got stabbed in a bar fight down in the Hen's foot,' explained one of the guards.

'We just need you to patch 'im up so's we can take him to the 'olding cells.'

'Come in,' said Duke Baird wearily.

He sat the cuffed man on his wooden work bench and made an incision in the man's breeches. The Head healer peeled back the blood soaked fabric and used a swab to clean the wound. He then pressed his hand –much to the brawler's protest- over the wound and within a minute shiny new skin replaced the tear in the man's flesh.

The officers departed, their now healed criminal in tow.

'You make it look so easy,' sighed Neal, who had watched the whole procedure with a wistful look.

'Well you decided to give up your healer's training.'

Neal sighed. They were back to this again. 'I'm halfway to being a Knight,' said Neal, 'Four more years of chasing a bruiser on a horse and then Queenscove has a knight of the realm.' He twiddled his thumbs absent-mindedly, 'maybe I could learn more healing once I'm knighted.'

A thoughtful look came across the Duke's face. 'Is that what you'd want? To be a healer and a knight?'

Shrugging, the eighteen-year old said, 'First I've got to pass the big exams and then spend four years with a man, who, according to Lord Padraig, will have me gagged within six hours of taking me on.'

'Are you confident about your exams tomorrow?'

Neal shrugged in a non-committal manner.

'You'll be fine,' encouraged Duke Baird. 'Just keep calm and remember that you've been trained well. It's rare for a page to fail the exams.'

'Hmm,' murmured Neal. 'Anyway I think I'm going to get an early night.'

Several minutes later he returned to his room and got ready for bed. Despite the sickening feeling of nerves that Neal got at every thought of the exams. It didn't take long for him to find comfort in dreamless sleep. As teenage boys will, Neal slept deep and peacefully.

* * *

It was quiet, too quiet. Kel's knees were numb from kneeling on the hard floor and when she stood up her legs tingled madly. It was nearly dark and Kel realised in shock that she must have been in the temple for much longer than she'd intended to be, lost in thought.

A mixture of meditating and praying had held her fear at bay for the time being, although Kel's heart appeared to be thudding so loudly against her ribcage that she wouldn't be surprised if Maggur himself could hear it.

Slipping back into the cool evening air, Kel saw that the sun was sinking down over the horizon, blood red in colour. She paused for a moment, feeling the breeze's fingers play across her face.

Suddenly the world beneath Kel's very feet seemed to shudder. Seconds later, there was an explosion about twenty metres to Kel's right. Dust and bits of rock hailed down upon Kel who shielded her head with her arms. Running blindly Kel tripped down the steps of the temple and rolled, coming to rest at the bottom of the steps. There were more explosions, this time from further away and Kel staggered to her feet.

As the dust along the street cleared, Kel could see a gaping hole in the side of the building. _Catapults _she thought, fear constricting her stomach. Kel hadn't expected to find herself at the mercy of such machines of war. She hated the feeling of helplessness. _If I'm going to die here, then I want to die in combat, not crushed to death beneath a collapsing building._

Kel could hear other buildings all over the city being targeted, the booms as gigantic boulders hit the buildings of Somalkt, smashing them apart. Screams and shouts could be heard from other parts of the city over the sounds of destruction.

Another rock smashed down through the roof of a house further down the road and Kel began to run up the street, stumbling over the debris that lay in her way. The rocks from the catapults landed at random, leaving a pattern of destruction behind them.

Choking on the dust and still running through street after street, Kel thundered up to higher ground. She had no idea if the top of the city was any less of a target than the bottom but she couldn't remain where she was, waiting for death.

In the dark and dust Kel became disorientated. The once familiar city appeared unrecognisable. Suddenly something flew through the air twenty feet above Kel and exploded into a building. Flames blasted out of the building and the shock of the impact sent Kel flying backwards into a wall, where she landed with a sickening crunch. The world swam in and out of focus.

Flames licked up the walls of the building, unnaturally high and powerful. Their reflections flickered in Kel's partially opened eyes. Choking smoke curled outwards, causing her eyes to sting and coughs to build in Kel's chest. The reflexive racking coughs bought Kel back to a state of consciousness and she crawled blindly away from the searing heat of the burning building.

Like an animal Kel crawled onto the next street and into a porch, to shelter herself from the debris and ash that was falling from the skies. She curled herself up, knees to her chest, burying her face. Dry sobs caught in her throat and her whole body shook in terror. Kel pressed her hands over her ringing ears, trying to block the sounds of the city's demolition.

The ground beneath her body still shuddering, Kel sat, unable to move herself. She was in shock after the explosion and couldn't have made herself move any further even if she'd wanted to. Through her fear, Kel wondered where the rest of the city's occupants were.

That night was the worst of Kel's whole life. In the darkness, unable to even contemplate sleep, time seemed to drag on, and yet Kel knew that any second she could be obliterated by a catapult's projectile.

Hundreds of miles away there were several others who were having difficulty sleeping. Merric, Esmond and Seaver were all tossing and turning in their beds, trying in vain to fall asleep. Merric kept imagining himself failing the exams and being forced to redo the past year whilst he watched all of his year mates go galloping off as squires. Esmond was fretting over archery –what if he missed all of his shots? Seaver meanwhile was imagining himself standing before the panel and finding himself unable to answer a single question.

Each boy was sweating in the sticky summer's night, and pounding their pillows and rearranging their blankets for the hundredth time, they set about trying to fall asleep.

Kel was also sweating due to a mixture of fear and heat, but she had no luxuries like beds or pillows, she remained slumped on the hard earth. And as the night continued on, the edge to her fear dulled and her sobs subsided. She waited for the new day and all that it would bring.

Finally, just as the sky was beginning to get lighter the explosions stopped and the only thing that could be heard was the crackling of burning wood. Soot-covered and bruised Kel forced herself to her feet and ventured out of her hidey hole.

A house two doors down had been burned to the ground. Fortunately, the hard spell-working of all of the mages had prevented the fires from spreading from building to building. Kel just hoped that the family who lived in the house had gotten out in time.

As Kel picked her way across rubble and wreckage she saw other people gingerly immerging from their houses, blinking and unable to believe that they had made it through the night.

Kel presumed that the battle would begin fairly soon and she set off in the vague direction of her room. Although Courage was strapped to Kel's waist, the rest of Kel's weapons and armour were still in her room, a room which she prayed was still standing.

When she arrived at the Sergeant's quarters it was a relief to find them more or less in tact. The window glass had been blown to smithereens by the shock waves travelling from the impact of rock on rock.

Stepping carefully into her room, Kel gathered up what she would need for the battle. She swapped her dirty, torn breeches for her mail lined ones, but kept on the same knee-high boots that she'd been wearing before. Next she pulled on the chain mail shirt and the wrist guards that she strapped on prevented the chain mail sleeves from flapping. Then she donned her breastplate.

On the belt at her waist, she attached her old sword and scabbard, as well as a five-inch dagger. Finally, Kel pulled out one of her larger navy blue shirts from the chest by the bed. Using the dagger, she hacked the shirt's sleeves off and pulled it over her amour, tucking it firmly into her belt.

Kel tore one of the shirt sleeves into a strip which she fashioned into a headband which kept her hair from falling into her eyes. She left the room without a backwards glance.

'Kel!'

She spun around to see Alex, also in armour, sprinting towards her. He stopped two feet from her.

'Gods you look terrible! What happened?'

Kel raised her eyebrows, thinking that it was fairly obvious why her face was scraped and soot stained.

'Didn't you get into a shelter?' asked Alex. 'I went back to the watchtower but the guard said that you'd already left. I looked everywhere I could think of. We were all sheltering in basements.'

Kel shuddered, imagining a house falling down and trapping her in the dark.

'We didn't expect Maggur to have so much blazebalm,' said Alex grimly. 'Half the city has been reduced to ashes.'

Still Kel said nothing. She couldn't quite believe that after last night that she was still standing here, able to watch the sun rising.

'Come on, the squads are assembling,' said Alex.

In silence they walked side by side through the smouldering city, like ghosts untouched by the destruction all around them. There was not a single street which did not show some sign of damage. Civilians had appeared from the basements and cellars that they had been hiding in. Several people were searching for survivors in rubble, whilst others were wailing for lives lost.

As they reached the large courtyard where the soldiers milled, Kel turned to Alex. She wanted to say so many things to the man who was closer than family, but before she could say anything, Alex said;

'Save it for later,' and he slipped away.

Kel understood; if they said goodbye then they were accepting that either of both of them would die. But they weren't ready to do that. Oh no Alexei of Rathhausak and Kel had unfinished business. She would at least stay alive long enough to say goodbye.

She slipped between the grim-faced men, until she stood with the men who had entrusted their lives to her.

* * *

By the time that Neal, Merric and the other pages awoke, Kel had already killed five men. Apart from a blow to the leg that was no more serious than a bruise, Kel was faring well in comparison to the men dying all around her.

Corpses littered the ground and Kel had to watch where she stepped. She parried a blow to her shoulder easily and slipped her blade between the gap in her opponent's plate armour. The sharp metal sank easily into the flesh and the man's eyes widened. Kel removed her sword and warm blood spattered across her face and torso.

There was no time to feel remorse, self-disgust or even relief, as the enemy pressed ever forward and Kel was soon engaged in yet another duel.

Although Kel was a natural fighter, that did not mean she enjoyed killing. On the contrary, she hated it. Kel liked fighting in practice courts, where it was simply a test of skill and nothing more than your pride was at stake. She liked fighting in a situation where she could disarm her opponent and bring him to justice that way. But war, war was a bloody mess, a waste of precious human lives.

Kel knew that if she aimed to injure rather than kill, those men would be patched up by healers and sent back out into the field. If the fighters of Somalkt were to have any hope at all, then every enemy she felled must die.

Blinking back the sweat that was running down her face, Kel killed yet another man. She tried to have a look around to see how they were faring but it was impossible to tell. The fighters were all massed together, the only differentiation between them being the red of Maggur's fighter's tunics compared to the blue and white of Somalkt's fighters.

The man next to Kel went down and suddenly she found two men fighting her at once. She sent one's sword swinging away and darted in to kill the second. It was then that she heard the horn call for retreat.

'Get back,' she roared over the clashing sounds of the battle. 'Fall back,' she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Her two opponents bleeding on the floor, Kel turned and ran, adrenalin thundering through her veins. Another Somalkt squad drove in front of Kel's fleeing men, holding Maggur's forces at bay.

Fifty metres from the battle field, Kel stopped running and looked around at her blood-stained warriors. She did a quick headcount. Fourteen men. Beneath their helmets Kel had difficulty identifying who had not made it. Nobody spoke; they hadn't the energy or the inclination to do so.

Kel recognised the numb feeling that had enveloped her. Later on she would cry for those who had died, for the horrors they'd all witnessed and taken part in. But now, she scanned the battlefield with her dreamy hazel eyes, taking in everything.

Kel's orders weren't clear about what she should do next, but she saw a horde of red soldiers pressing in at the right flank of the squads that had replaced Kel's.

'For Somalkt,' she cried, and blood pounding in her ears, she led her fourteen men back into the fray.

They managed to hold the red soldiers off, just. Even though reinforcements arrived in the form of another three squads, the sheer numbers of red soldiers were driving the defending force slowly backwards up the slope.

Kel did the best that she could with regard to keeping her men alive. She stepped in several times to help those who were having difficulty in defeating their opponents, but with men pressing in on all sides, it wasn't easy.

A big man bore down upon Kel, wielding an enormous axe with the ease as though it were made of nothing heavier than straw. Kel blocked his first thrust and whipped her sword past his axe. For a man his size, he was remarkably fast and he knocked Kel's sword away with the butt of his axe.

For the first time since the battle had begun, Kel was out-matched. At six and a half feet tall, the man towered over her with a bulky frame at least twice Kel's size. The blows to Kel's sword made her arms go numb, and soon Kel's blocks were two-handed just to cope with the sheer strength of the attacks.

Frustrated that he couldn't pick his smaller adversary off quickly, he upped the intensity of his attacks and Kel was now fighting in earnest for her life. She was a fraction of a second late in bringing her sword up and the axe smashed into her right forearm, just above her wrist.

* * *

'Page Nealan of Queenscove,' called a seedy voice.

Neal stood up, trying not to let his nerves show. The others smiled encouragingly at him as he drew his sword.

Neal bowed to the soldier who he was about to fight. The soldier ducked his head briefly and they began.

Neal had lived at court nearly all of his life and had been learning the sword since he was seven years old. Against the other pages he fared well, but he had no idea how good the soldier was. Hoping desperately that he wouldn't make a fool of himself, Neal began to duel.

He blocked the soldier's attacks smartly and responded with his own attacks. The unsmiling soldier gradually speeded up, allowing Neal to show the full range of his skill. Trying to ignore the watching examiners, Neal let his body do the thinking and after about five minutes had disarmed the soldier.

Neal bowed, his heart still pounding in his chest. It was only when he straightened up and sheathed his sword did he realise that the other pages were cheering for him. Neal smiled; perhaps the big exams weren't so bad after all.

* * *

If Kel hadn't been wearing chain mail and wrist guards then the blow would have easily severed her arm. As it was the blade bit down through leather and steel to create a deep gash in Kel's arm.

Kel's life was saved by the fact that Nariko, the old Yamani training master had drilled into her over and over to never drop her weapon. Without even thinking her left hand took over and Kel's right arm flopped uselessly to her side.

The axe came up, aiming for Kel's neck. Reacting instinctively, Kel twisted out of the way. The corner of the axe blade caught on her helmet and yanked it off of Kel's head.

Her opponent, shocked at discovering Kel was a girl, hesitated and Kel leapt in with unerring skill to bat his axe out of the way. Off-balance, the monstrous scanran staggered backward in the same instant that a mighty horn boomed across the battlefield, calling for retreat. Kel joined in the mad rush of soldiers back to the city, losing track of all her warriors in the melee and chaos that followed.

Luckily, Maggur's troops had been ordered to not break formation and they let the depleted Somalkt army flee back into the city.

Once inside the walls, Kel let Courage's point drop and she stood in the midst of the pandemonium. Healers were running out to try and tend to those who were most hurt. Grown men had collapsed against the walls of buildings, sobbing. Others, bleeding from superficial wounds were bandaging each other up.

A man missing an arm and screaming was carried on a makeshift stretcher past Kel. A woman ran past, calling desperately for her son. Everywhere Kel looked there were images of suffering. No one seemed quite sure what was going on.

Kel staggered over to a clear bit of ground next to the brick wall of an inn. She sat down heavily and laid Courage next to her. The sword's blade was marred by congealed blood. With her injured arm cradled across her stomach, Kel closed her eyes trying to escape from it all.

Now that the adrenalin was wearing off, she could feel bone-deep exhaustion setting in. She hadn't slept for nearly thirty hours and couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten anything.

Her arm was really beginning to hurt now. Kel looked down and observed with mild surprise the blood leaking from the gash. She tried to move her wrist but a flare of pain later discovered that she couldn't. There was no point trying to find a healer; they'd all be far too busy dealing with more serious injuries. _According to the Yamanis you have to live with pain, _thought Kel, slightly delusional, _that way it doesn't have any power over you. _Out of the blue she remembered what Neal had said when she'd told him that, "They sound like wonderful, cheerful people," had been his reply. Kel smiled weakly to herself and wondered what Neal was doing right now.

* * *

Neal sat awkwardly on one of the benches with the other fourth year pages, his knees bent uncomfortably. He had already taken his exam on the history of the realm and was watching Quinden struggle through his account of the battle of 233 H.E.

It was nearly over and so far Neal thought that no one had done too badly. Esmond had messed up his first few shots in archery, but after that everything had gone remarkably smoothly. They _had_ been trained well.

Sipping some water, he applauded Quinden who was returning to the other pages, looking relieved that the history was over and done with. Now they had a written mathematics test.

Quite apart from looking forward to the exams being over, Neal and the other pages couldn't wait for the celebratory banquet that evening. There would be jesters and court musicians for their entertainment, as well as a sumptuous feast.

Neal yawned and absentmindedly healed a bruise on his thumb. _Not long now._

* * *

'Kel!' suddenly Alex's concerned face loomed in front of Kel. 'Are you alright?' he asked urgently.

Kel nodded, but her throat was too dry from dehydration and shouting to speak.

'Come on, let's get you up,' he said, helping Kel to her feet. 'Tor wants us to meet him. Gemmel's dead.'

'What's Maggur doing?' croaked Kel, 'Why isn't he attacking?'

'He's playing with us,' said Alex grimly, as they walked up the street.

Like Kel Alex bore the signs of a hard mornings fighting. Dark brown blood was splattered across his tunic as though a painter had merely flicked a brush of brown paint at him. Kel wondered vaguely how many had died on Alex's sword today.

'What happened to your wrist?' asked Alex, suddenly noticing that the blood on Kel's right forearm was her own.

'There was a giant with an axe,' rasped Kel.

'Stenmun?'

'I'm not sure,' said Kel, 'I couldn't see his face. He was damn fast though.'

'I'll get Rhonda to fix it for you.'

Kel didn't bother protesting, she knew that it would be futile.

When they finally reached the building that was serving as military headquarters, they found a pale Tor giving out orders.

'We give my father the warrior send off that he deserves,' Tor was saying, 'And then we return to destroy more of Maggur's maggots.'

Men scurried off to relay Tor's orders.

When it was just Tor, Alex and Kel left in the room Tor's posture visibly changed. He slumped and rubbed his face with one hand, fighting off tears.

Kel didn't know what she could say that could possibly comfort Tor. Alex on the other hand, who Kel supposed had more experience at losing parents, clasped Tor on the shoulder.

'He died a hero,' said Alex consolingly.

Tor took a deep breath. 'I'm fine, are you two alright? It was rough out there…'

'Yes,' said Kel hoarsely.

Alex passed her a water skin from the table and Kel sipped water, revelling in the sensation of the cool liquid on her sore throat. Alex also passed her some bread to eat.

Just then Rhonda slipped in through the door. She was ashen faced and blood-covered too, although her blood wasn't arterial spray, but stains from those whom she had been desperately trying to save in the makeshift hospital.

'Why isn't the Somalkt flag flying?' she asked, snatching her own piece of bread and stuffing the food down her throat.

'The flag will be buried with my father,' said Tor. 'There will be no Somalkt once Maggur's finished.'

No one objected to this statement; they all knew it was only a matter of time before Maggur triumphed.

'Well we need some sort of flag or symbol,' said Rhonda through a mouthful of bread. 'The men are terrified.'

'Once my father's body has been dealt with, we will ride out,' said Tor. 'It's time to bring in all the cavalry we have. We are going to attack hard and fast, looking for maximum damage to Maggur's companies. Then we can retreat again. Maggur's in no hurry.'

'Rhonda can you take a look at Kel's arm for me,' said Alex, from where he stood next to Tor.

Rhonda turned and spotted Kel, who was propped against a wall, feeling slightly dizzy.

'Sit,' she commanded, and Kel obeyed, seating herself in a chair.

Gingerly Kel laid her throbbing arm flat on the table. As Rhonda eased off the wrist guard she swore under her breath in pain. When Rhonda rolled back the blood-soaked shirt sleeve and mail she saw that Kel's wrist was a mess. Rhonda washed the dried blood off, using some water and swollen, purple tissue was revealed underneath.

'This is a nasty break,' said Rhonda, probing gently. She looked at Kel, impressed that the girl wasn't making more of a fuss. 'I can start the healing process, but I can't spare any more of my gift.'

Kel nodded. A small, weak tendril of black fire encircled Kel's wrist and the pain receded a little. Even this small expenditure of gift caused beads of sweat to appear on Rhonda's forehead.

'Is there a sheet anywhere?' Rhonda asked.

Alex darted upstairs and returned with a white linen bed sheet. Rhonda used one of her many daggers to tear off strips and tightly bandage Kel's arm. She then eased the chain mail back down and replaced the wrist guard, strapping it tightly.

'The wrist guard should act as a temporary splint,' sighed Rhonda. 'It's the best I can do.'

'Thanks,' mumbled Kel gratefully.

Kel placed her good hand on the table to lever herself up. As it did so, a bloody handprint was left imprinted upon what was left of the bed sheet. Rhonda noticed this and took a closer look, spreading out the white material.

Without a word to anyone, she cut the linen into a rectangular shape.

'I've got an idea,' she murmured. 'Come here everyone.'

Tor and Alex joined the two women at the table.

'If we all place a handprint like Kel's…' Rhonda demonstrated by wiping her hand on a few of the bloody rags that had been used to clean Kel's arm. She then pressed down, so that her handprint was opposite Kel's, facing inwards.

Alex understood and made his own hand print, and Tor copied him. They all stood back to admire their handiwork. Against the stark white background were four reddish-brown handprints, all facing towards the centre of the flag at ninety degree intervals like the points of a compass.

'Mithros god of war, help us,' Tor prayed, 'Give our warriors the strength and bravery to defy Maggur.'

'So mote it be,' they all chanted.

Tor took a deep breath, 'For Somalkt,' he said in a quiet, determined voice.

'For Rathhausak,' echoed Rhonda, a steely note in her voice.

'For Scanra,' said Alex, finality in his tone.

'For the people,' Kel added quietly on the end.

'Shall we?' asked Tor, picking up the flag that was to become the icon of Alex's campaign.

Together they left the room, each taking on a defiant stance. Here were four people who would never bow to Maggur.

* * *

(-a/n- So what did you think? Please leave me a review :D )

**Confusedknight xx**


	44. Parting

**(-a/n- **Hello again! What a speedy update! This is, in effect the second half to chapter 43. I was ecstatic with the review response for last chapter (You're all **wonderful people :D** )…and now I'm really worried about posting this chapter. Please don't hate me. )

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Gemmel was cremated about half an hour later, his body wrapped in the blue Somalkt flag. The remaining citizens of Somalkt sang a song of respect and loss as their clan chief became smoke and ash, carried skywards in the arms of the dancing breeze.

Once the flames had begun to die down the army was on the move again. Kel was handed a fully tacked black destrier by a stable-hand. Alex was also on horseback, riding his ever faithful Prince.

The losses from the morning's fighting had been heavy and Tor was short of several commanders. This meant that both Kel and Alex had been entrusted with a company of tired, disheartened soldiers to command.

'This is our home,' shouted out Tor, every bit the chief of the clan. It was hard to believe that only an hour previously he had been weeping and despairing over the loss of his father. 'Maggur's scum come here and damage the city of our forefathers. They hurt our civilians, have killed our comrades. Now we will show Maggur the true might of Somalkt.'

A mighty roar rose up from the eight hundred or so soldiers that were gathered before the city's outer gates. Tor kicked his mount into a charge and with Alex, Kel and the rest of the army following he thundered down the slope.

It was a scene that mirrored many a tapestry and painting; a charging army kicking up dust from the dry earth, men's mouths stretched wide in an animalistic battle cry and the makeshift flag flapping and dancing in the standard bearer's hands.

Elation filled Kel and all thoughts of tiredness were banished as she galloped into battle alongside Alex. The army halted on the plain about three hundred metres from the city and the warriors settled into a loose battle formation. Kel trotted over to a company on the left; the company that she was to command.

Courage was already clasped in her left hand whilst her right arm was folded protectively across her chest. Kel had declined a shield knowing that she would not be able to use it properly with her damaged arm.

Tor was shouting more words of determination and his foot soldiers roared in agreement. Kel wasn't really listening; she was concentrating on the red mass of Maggur's soldiers that were assembling ahead of them.

There was a short blast on a horn and arrows from Somalkt's archers whizzed through the air to sink into their targets. Maggur's archers responded in kind and several men around Kel dropped. Tor gave the signal.

'Charge!' Kel screamed to her men. And the battle began.

As commander of the second company, it was Kel's job to ensure that her men didn't let any of Maggur's forces sneak round the Somalkt army and attack from behind. It wasn't easy as the red soldiers vastly outnumbered the white and blue.

Kel chopped and hacked, her destrier rearing and felling almost as many soldiers as she did. Kel had to be careful to protect her vulnerable side by having the black horse almost side on to the rush of oncoming foes.

It was impossible to know how much time had passed. Underneath her armour Kel was sweating profusely –the midday sun was strong and unforgiving. As ever in battle, Kel was grateful for all the hours spent in training; her arm muscles did not protest as she swung her sword over and over.

With a horrible squeal Kel's mount lurched beneath her and then pitched forward onto the blood-soaked earth. Kel had just enough time to push herself clear of the horse so that her leg wasn't trapped beneath it's flailing body. She landed hard and rolled over, all the breath knocked out of lungs and pain exploding up her injured arm.

She staggered upwards and her breast plate deflected a would-be fatal blow. Still struggling to breathe, Kel engaged another opponent.

Kel's senses were overloaded. The metallic smell of blood almost choked her and she could taste blood in her mouth. The noise of the battle was deafening, metal on metal, cries of victory and death all rolled into one.

It was harder to keep track upon her soldiers on foot. Kel killed the opponent with a stab to his unprotected thigh and she ran away from the frontline to where the fighters were more spread out.

Spotting a potential danger Kel cried; 'Somalkt to me!' and any warriors who could followed her to plug a gap in their defences.

* * *

They had done it. All of the pages had passed the big exams and were now squires. Tonight they would move over to the squire's table in the mess hall as they had watched all the older pages do in previous years.

The relief was evident on every face as the pages were being congratulated by their parents who had been watching the day's exams anxiously.

Sweetmeats and refreshing fruit juices were being handed around by palace servants. Merric broke away from where his parents stood talking to Duke Turmot of Wellam and walked over to Neal.

'So we made it,' he said happily.

'Just,' agreed Neal, smiling. _Nearly all of us, _he suddenly thought remembering a small, emotionless face in his mind's eye. It had been a while since he'd last thought of Kel. Three years was a long time; even his recollection of her face was beginning to slip away.

Neal sighed and turned back to the festivities.

* * *

'Pull back,' roared Tor's voice over the melee. He galloped up and down bellowing the order.

'Retreat,' Kel hollered to her men.

It was not easy for the Somalkt fighters. If they all turned tail and ran they were likely to be cut to shreds by Maggur's army. Kel watched in horror as a squad of Maggur's surged forward, cutting off twenty or so men from the rest of the army.

Kel was about to rush forward to help, but was carried backwards by the surge of fleeing soldiers. She could just about see the men's panicked faces over the crowd, as they realised that they were trapped, about to die.

'No,' screamed Kel, but no one could hear her. Tears of rage and dismay trickled down her face. Eventually Kel had no choice but to follow the rest of the men. Her legs ran without her conscious control and before long they were back inside the city.

As the last soldier entered, the gates banged shut with a horrible finality.

'No, no, no,' muttered Kel in shock. She should've done something to help those poor men. Kel jogged up a flight of stone steps past several arrow-riddled corpses and onto the ramparts. She looked down at the battlefield and almost vomited everywhere.

Corpses littered the ground; hundreds maybe even thousands of bodies, their life blood leaking out onto the dry grassland. Kel could see Maggur's soldiers walking along the fallen, picked up their own injured and murdering Somalkt's.

It was a sight that Kel would never forget, not even when she was old and grey. In years to come the plains of Somalkt would be renamed 'the Blood plains' for the two thousand that died there during the battle.

Kel couldn't look at the sight any longer and retreated down the steps. She immediately rushed to the aid of a soldier bleeding profusely, and using her good arm, supported him as he walked to the infirmary.

She made several trips of this kind, doing her bit to help the injured. When there were no more people that needed help, Kel joined the other relatively uninjured soldiers in the courtyard. Bread and water was being passed around but Kel could only make herself eat little chunks; the smell of blood was still too strong.

Just then, something thudded down about three metres from Kel. She took a closer look and recoiled in horror. It was a human head. Other heads were now raining down and the men were all shouting and moving out of the way.

Maggur's men seemed to be beheading the fallen warriors and catapulting their heads into the city. This time Kel really was sick and she retched in an alleyway until her stomach was completely empty. She leant back against the wall, it's cool bricks soothing her whilst she gained control of her body again.

More than anything she wanted to find Alex, wanted them both to be far away from this living hell. How much longer would the men keep fighting? How much more could they endure? How much more could she endure?

Looking up Kel noted that there seemed to be a general movement of warriors up through the streets of Somalkt. Sighing, Kel joined the despondent troops who trudged up to the more sheltered grounds of the castle.

When Kel reached her old place of employment she followed the crowd into the castle's great hall. The hall, previously used for the dining of the castle's staff, had been cleared of it's large tables. The women handed out more food to the tired men and the soldiers sat and collapsed on the floor, safe from the grisly rain of heads.

For the amount of people crammed into the large hall it was eerily quiet. Morale was low and men wept for their fallen friends, brothers and comrades. It was then that an idea struck Kel. Back on the slave plantation they had sang to keep up their hopes. Would the same thing work here?

Quietly Kel began to sing. Men looked up in surprise but Kel continued to sing softly, paying them no attention. People listened, transfixed, letting her soft voice roll over the muffling silence. The song faded and no one spoke, no one moved.

Then suddenly, a man with a tear-stained face began to sing in a musical voice and the song he sung soared to the rafters. A second man joined in and then a third. Gradually, ever so slowly, more and more voices joined in until the hall rang with the harmony of the song.

When that song ended, another one began. And when that song too ended a third song began. Kel accepted some slightly stale bread and nibbled. The sheer intensity of the music gave her goose-bumps.

The mood couldn't be described as happy, but the despair was lifting.

* * *

Many miles south Neal was tucking into a succulent pork chop drizzled in gravy. His plate was piled with all sorts of food imaginable (no vegetables though) and he was eating with great gusto.

Over the babble of the pages and new squires a band of court musicians could be heard playing cheery melodies. The mood was jubilant –a grin on every face.

* * *

Kel had waited for almost an hour and still Alex hadn't arrived. Fed up of waiting, she decided to go and find him. The first place she searched was the meeting room where they had made the flag earlier on. He wasn't there.

A familiar "boom" resounded and the ground trembled. Maggur had begun bombing the city again. Shuddering, and trying not to rekindle the previous night's terror, Kel hurried along the roads of Somalkt. Where could Alex be?

She searched both her own and Alex's quarters but to no avail. Finally the only place that she could think of was Rhonda's room.

Kel was just walking up the street to the lodging house, when a boulder the size of a horse's rump smashed into the first floor of the house with an almighty crash. Fortunately it was not a ball of exploding blazebalm, but there was significant damage to the house. Praying that Alex was not inside, Kel ventured into the house.

'Hello,' she called out. 'Is anybody in here?'

Kel kicked open the door to Rhonda's room and squinted through the cloud of dust. There was a prone figure stirring on the floor.

'Alex,' Kel shouted. She knelt down beside her friend and pulled him roughly up, shaking his shoulders. 'Wake up.'

Alex groaned and placed a hand to his forehead. When he brought his hand away blood glistened on his fingers. 'Rhonda?' he asked unsteadily.

'No it's Kel,' she said gently, wondering how hard the blow to Alex's head had been.

'Rhonda!' he repeated, and with a cry like a wounded animal he launched himself across the room, ignoring the debris from the floor above. At the far end of the room, where the ceiling from the floor above had come down, a black figure lay.

'No Rhonda no,' he cried, slapping her cheeks with his bloody hands. Kel came to stand behind Alex, feeling helpless.

'Alex,' Rhonda rasped in a tired voice.

'Don't you dare leave me,' said Alex, his voice breaking. 'It's going to be alright, we'll get you out of this.'

This was a downright lie, and both Kel and Rhonda knew it. The bottom half of Rhonda was crushed beneath the collapsed part of the floor. Blood oozed from her stomach, where a large splinter of wood was embedded.

Rhonda was shaking her head, slowly, painfully.

'Yes,' he half-shouted. 'I need you, you can't leave me.'

'Don't be stupid,' whispered Rhonda. 'You'll be fine without me; you have to follow the plan through.'

'But…' Alex said, tears now leaking down his cheeks, making tracks through the dust that had settled there.

'I'm sorry,' said Rhonda, her voice even quieter than before. 'I'm sorry for everything, if I hadn't been so stupid, none of this would've happened...'

'It's not your fault,' soothed Alex, stroking her hair. 'It's all Maggur's, do you hear me? He would've found a way whatever you'd done.'

'You just make sure you make him pay,' she croaked. 'And you,' she directed this comment at Kel, 'You help him put things right in Scanra.'

'I will,' promised Kel, tears of her own now sliding silently from her eyes. 'You have my word.'

'You know for a Tortallan, you aren't half bad,' the older woman rasped.

Kel smiled through her tears.

'I guess this is where we say goodbye Alexei of Rathhausak,' Rhonda said tiredly.

'Thank you for everything,' Alex choked, barely able to speak in grief.

Rhonda placed her closed fist to her heart and then her head. 'Long live the King,' she murmured. Her eyes slid closed.

'No,' Alex howled, hugging Rhonda to him and rocking backwards and forwards.

Kel held her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her own sobs. She backed against one of the remaining walls and shook in her own silent grief. Life wasn't fair. Rhonda had been fighting for so long and yet she'd never see Maggur killed.

When Kel has regained some composure she crawled over to Alex and placed an arm around his shaking shoulders. Alex let go of Rhonda's still form and grabbed onto Kel, holding onto her tightly.

It could've been seconds, minutes or hours before he spoke.

'You know she saved me Kel. I'd given up, wanted to die, but she wouldn't let me. She never gave up, fought to get me back to Tortall and then, when we were safe, she looked after us both. Do you know what she did?' choked Alex, more tears welling in her eyes. 'She sold herself to get the money for my lodgings as I was nursed back to health. She hated it,' he sobbed, 'that's why she hates Tortallans; because no one would help her to care for me, she had to earn the money…' Alex was once again overcome by grief.

'Alex we should go,' said Kel gently, unable to say anything to ease her friend's pain. 'This building isn't safe.'

Alex didn't move.

'Come on,' said Kel desperately. As another boulder made impact with a building nearby, the room seemed to shudder around them.

Kel literally pulled Alex from the room and out into the street. Although Rhonda deserved a proper send-off there was nothing that Kel could do. She was just trying to keep them both alive.

Still crying softly Alex followed Kel, who took him to the watchtower. Although the tower was potentially a target, in the dark it was hidden. It was also one of the points of the city that was furthest from the catapults. Kel hoped it was out of range.

No one was guarding the tower when they arrived; there weren't enough men to spare, so Kel and Alex went straight to the top. She'd brought him to the watchtower because she knew it would be a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Alex didn't need everyone seeing him at a moment of weakness.

On the gentle night's breeze, in between the explosions and "booms", Kel could hear the singing of the soldiers in the castle. It was surreal, the gentle summer's night, the horrors of the day swallowed by darkness…

For over an hour, Alex sat there in the dark, his breathing ragged until he had no more tears to cry. Wiping his puffy eyes on his shirt sleeves and still struggling to control himself, he looked up. He knew what he had to do, but that didn't make it any easier.

'Keladry of Mindelan go home,' he said, his voice wavering just a little.

'What?' gasped Kel, sure that she must have misheard. Maybe a combination of sleep deprivation, grief, blood loss and low blood sugar levels were making her imagine things.

'Keladry of Mindelan go home,' Alex repeated himself, this time turning to face his younger companion.

'H-h-how?' stuttered Kel, shaking her head in disbelief and taking a step backwards.

'I knew who you were before we even left Tortall,' said Alex, his voice unusually hoarse. 'When you spied on that squad of soldiers for me, you knew who the leader was without needing to here it. That night I headed over to Mindelan and I learned how the youngest Mindelan girl, Keladry was missing and was presumed dead.' Alex said all of this slowly, trying to keep his thoughts together.

'I also discovered that she was the first girl page to try for her shield and that, to the outrage of many, she had been sent away. It wasn't hard to figure out. There aren't many ten-year-olds called Kel who can wield swords and speak Yamani.'

A silence reigned between them.

'That's not who I am anymore,' said Kel quietly. 'I left all that behind, a long time ago.'

'No you didn't,' argued Alex softly. 'You are Lady Keladry of Mindelan and always will be; it's part of who you are.'

'No,' said Kel forcefully. 'I'm just Kel and I have a new life, a new life here fighting alongside you. Keladry of Mindelan never did anything for anyone. She sat in posh castles eating fine food and dreaming of the glory of battles, whilst other people suffered. I was no better than all the other nobles out there.'

'But since I became Kel,' she continued in a quiet passionate voice, 'For the first time in my life I felt like I could make a real difference. I lived among those suffering, I helped them. That's more than any Tortallan noble has ever done.'

'But you're the same person, Keladry of Mindelan is the Kel that helped all of those people,' Alex reasoned. 'Look, when I fled from Scanra and ended up in Queensgrace, I was ready to give everything up. I fell in love with Annie; I was going to marry her just as Alex. Alexei of Rathhausak didn't exist anymore in my eyes.' He paused, the memory excruciatingly painful.

'But then Rhonda returned and I had to make a choice. Being Alexei of Rathhausak was a part of me, and if I denied that then I could never be a whole person. I had to return, because whether I wanted to or not that is what I knew I must do. I would never have been content with the life I was trying to build. I would've always wondered what would've happened if I had gone back…'

'It's different,' Kel protested, tears trickling down her cheeks again.

'It's not,' said Alex softly. 'Even if you stay here and everything you hope for comes true; we win this battle, defeat Maggur and I am crowned, then a part of you will always long to return to your homeland.'

'But I can return once that's all happened,' said Kel. 'You need me here.'

'Kel,' Alex said brokenly. 'I've lost all my family and now Rhonda. I _can't_ lose you too. Tomorrow Maggur's armies will overcome this city. If he permits the men to live then they will be enslaved into his armies. The women will become slaves on the plantation…but not before…you know what happens. I will _not_ sit back and watch you being raped.'

Kel flinched.

'I need to know that you're safe.'

'Can't I wait for you in another clan?' said Kel desperately. 'How can you expect me to return and do nothing for the people suffering here?'

'If things go according to plan, then sometime in the next couple of years the Tortallans are going to become crucial in the fight against Maggur. I need someone over there too; someone who I know _understands_ what is at stake.'

'They won't listen to me,' cried Kel. 'I tried before remember? It's not like Scanra. Here if you can best a man in swordplay then they respect you. Back in Tortall no one will listen to me, a thirteen-year-old girl.'

'Then make them listen,' said Alex passionately. 'You're the best fighter I've ever trained Kel. Wherever you go things change because you make it so. I know that they threw you out last time but the Kel I know doesn't give up. You go and show them what you can do Keladry of Mindelan, you make them listen.'

'But-' Kel was crying in earnest now, unable to think of arguments against Alex.

She stumbled forward and clung to Alex, inhaling in the scent that she recognised so well. Alex hugged her back, rocking from side to side, crying too.

'I'm going to miss you little one,' he said roughly.

'Thank you for all you've done-' Kel started, but Alex interrupted her. 'It was nothing little sister, nothing at all.'

They stayed clutched together in the darkness, but all too soon she, Alex and Prince stood at the gate.

'Alex I can't take Prince,' Kel protested through her tears.

'I don't want him falling into Maggur's hands. Prince deserves more than that; he's a warrior's horse, it's only right that he goes to the best warrior I know.'

They hugged one last time.

'We'll meet again,' said Alex. 'I promise.'

'I'll hold you to that,' sniffed Kel, a tight ball of misery in her throat.

The guardsman opened the side gate and Kel mounted up. She saluted Alex once, bringing her closed fist to her heart and then her head. Alex responded in the same way and Kel slipped away into the night.

She travelled a narrow path up into the mountains, watching the smouldering city grow smaller and smaller. Tears still streamed down her cheeks.

* * *

**(-a/n-** It had to happen :( I'm sorry, but this was planned right from the beginning. I hope you enjoyed the chapter apart from the overall depressing tone…)

Please leave a review –I love hearing from you all!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	45. The wanderer

**(-a/n- **I'm utterly gob smacked by the fantastic amount of wonderful people who left me a review last chapter. All I can say is** thank you, thank you, thank you**! You and you alone are the reason that I'm spending many hours of my holiday writing :D I promise to try and get the next chapter up faster than this one ;D )

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Now that Kel had left Somalkt far behind only the soft tramping of Prince's hooves disturbed the oppressing silence. The night was warm and the air lay over the land like a suffocating blanket, heavy and immobile.

Both girl and horse journeyed steadily onwards following a path that twisted and undulated through the mountainous terrain. Kel was filthy. Beneath her armour her linen shirt was still damp with sweat and clung uncomfortably to her skin. She smelt terrible; from head to toe Kel was covered in dirt and blood. Fly away strands of her knotted and tangled hair flapped onto her tear-stained face.

Kel wasn't riding Prince; she was just sitting abreast him, slumped and too tired to cry anymore. Her injured arm was resting on her lap, seriously aching now and flaring with pain every step that the big gelding took.

When Morning came she revealed a barren, jagged landscape, all grey and dusty for as far as Kel's puffy eyes could see. The sun rose in the cerulean sky along with the temperature and the scene surrounding Kel began to shimmer.

Kel's head began to swim as the heat haze intensified. She was dehydrated and exhausted. Unable to think straight or even consider her options, she sat passively on top of Prince, swaying slightly as the gelding picked his way carefully down the sloping path.

Time played tricks with Kel's mind and it could've been minutes or hours later that they reached the bottom of the valley. Prince, perhaps sensing the deteriorating condition of his rider stayed in the shade as much as possible, climbing over loose rock cautiously. Kel was not thinking at all, she seemed to have left behind that ability somewhere along the way. The only thing that she was aware of was the pain, the pain that was not only physical -her broken arm and assorted other injuries- but also emotional.

Once again she had found herself on the road, alone. She travelled because she was unsure of what else to do. She had lost everyone all over again, the people that she had cared about. For years she had immersed herself in the Scanran campaign, forgetting all else and now she was to leave that behind too. At some point, if she ever made it back to Tortall, she would have to face everything that she'd been ignoring for so long.

For now however, Kel was lost in the depths of Scanra and didn't need to think ahead to the time when she would have to face the friends and family that she'd left behind in Tortall.

As her mount rounded a bend in the gorge Kel saw vaguely that valley widened out. The rock became sand and beyond the sandy beach lay a massive lake that sparkled blue in the sun.

Whinnying tiredly, Prince trotted down to the water, Kel bouncing around on top of him like a sack of potatoes. The chestnut stopped at the water's edge and lowered his mouth to the fresh water, lapping thirstily. After a moment's pause Kel slid off of his back and onto the damp sand.

Her legs wobbling Kel grasped at Prince's solid mass to steady herself and without taking off her shoes, she waded into the lake and knelt. The chilly water elicited a response from the almost catatonic girl.

She washed her bloody hands in the water, gingerly scrubbing off the dirt and wincing every time her butchered wrist moved slightly in it's makeshift splint.

Like her horse before her Kel placed her head to the water and slurped messily, letting the liquid sooth her sore throat and fill her empty stomach. One-handed, she washed off her face, feeling a sense of relief as dirt and sweat left her pores. Kel knew she had to be clean, had to be rid of the blood from the battle, so she pulled off her tunic, boots, breastplate and chain mail, leaving them safely on the sand. She then plunged up to her neck and for a moment the shock of the freezing water overpowered everything else.

Kel gasped with the cold. Her skin tingled all over as she rubbed her hair with her good left hand, trying to remove at least some of the filth. Shivering, Kel used the last of her energy to stumble back onto the shore of the lake. She picked up her belongings and somehow made it five metres or so to a large rock, which must have at some point fallen from the mountain.

It was in the shade of this rock that Kel finally collapsed. The sand's soft arms embraced her and she spiralled into unconsciousness. For the first time in over fifty hours Kel slept.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the sleeping thirteen-year old, the mighty wooden gate to Somalkt crashed open, splinters reigning down. Those men that were still defending the city closed their eyes in a moment of despair. Several dropped to their knees and prayed to Mithros for mercy. The women that had remained behind hugged their children, tears dripping silently down their cheeks, clutching their loved ones close and whispering soothing words in their children's ears.

As red soldiers burst into the city, a roar on every mouth at their victory, the weapons of the citizens of Somalkt dropped to the ground. The city was lost. Empty hands rose like a wave, surrendering the home of their ancestors to the invading forces.

The men had their fun with any remaining women and survivors were rounded up and herded onto the blood-soaked plain to stand among the fallen. Children screamed in terror as they were separated from their parents. Any injured were killed in cold blood; they were no use as slaves.

Maggur, a broad man six feet tall, strode among the captives like a farmer assessing his livestock for market. His eyes were serious, set too close together in a face that displayed a satisfied expression. He had shoulder length blonde hair with a beard to match and his demeanour exuded confidence and power. He, unlike his soldiers bore no signs of heavy fighting; his expensive tunic, embroidered with the Rathhausak eagle had not a fleck of dirt on it and the blade of the sword that rested in his hand was spotless.

None of the survivors of Somalkt spoke, terrified into silence by Maggur's imposing figure.

'Welcome to my clan,' said Maggur in a deep voice that carried far over the crowd of huddled figures. 'Soon the might of Rathhausak will unite this country beneath my banner. Look at what my army has done here today; we have broken open the "impenetrable" Somalkt like a fragile vase upon a rock. There is not a force left in Scanra that can pose any threat to me.'

He looked around at the cowed men and women and sighed audibly. 'It was stupid to fight,' he said softly in a voice that could be heard by everyone. 'Look at how many died here today.' Maggur kicked at a nearby corpse with one large, leather clad foot.

A woman cried out. 'Don't you touch him!' and ran at Maggur, flailing her arms. In one smooth movement Maggur's sword sliced through the woman's neck and she fell, her head landing several feet from her body. Scarlet blood dripped down the shining blade. 'That was foolish,' he said lazily.

'You are lucky that I am not eager to see any more blood spilt today. As of this moment you are all slaves of the clan of Rathhausak. Somalkt does not exist anymore. It will be raised to the ground as proof that nothing, _nothing_ can stand in the way of my army.'

Even as these words left Maggur's lips a small group of men were sneaking northward from the conquered city, men that would stand in the way of Maggur's campaign or die trying. This small but determined band of battle-scarred men was led by the one man who hated Maggur more than any other; Alexei of Rathhausak, the man alone that would see Maggur pay for the massacre at Somalkt.

* * *

The first thing that entered Kel's awareness was a something soft and velvety lipping her cheek gently. She stirred. Something snorted in Kel's ear, it's warm breath tickling her ever so slightly. She rolled over. Something solid nudged at her shoulder and Kel's eyes opened letting in the gentle evening sunlight.

Groaning, Kel sat up and reached a hand out to pat Prince's muzzle. Although the sleep had been brief it had been enough to re-energise her brain. Kel quickly discovered that screwing up her eyes against the sunlight hurt; her cheeks were sore. She reached up her hand and felt the heat that radiated from her skin. She added sunburn to her list of injuries.

Standing up took an enormous amount of effort and willpower; it would be very easy to lie here on the beach for several more hours until the sun slipped below the horizon. However Kel knew that she should travel onwards.

She brushed the sand from her slightly damp clothes and walked stiffly down to the lake shore, the feel of the sand beneath her feet reminding her of days spent on the beaches of the Yamani islands when she was a child.

After drinking as much as she could without being sick, Kel returned to her possessions. The boots were replaced back on her feet, but Kel had no desire to put her smelly armour back on, especially in this heat. Instead, she stuffed the chain mail and tunic into one of the empty saddle bags on Prince's saddle and secured the breastplate.

Kel retied her knotty hair so that it was lifted off of her shoulders, allowing the slight breeze to play around the back of her neck. With a grunt of exertion she mounted Prince and they set off into the stillness of the summer's evening.

Even as the night fell and the temperatures dropped Kel continued to press on. She hadn't got the faintest idea where she was, nor where she was headed. Some logical part of her brain knew that she should try to find some civilisation. There was water in the mountains; lakes and streams would see that she did not die of thirst. Food was another matter entirely, but Kel was no stranger to going hungry.

Having found their way down into this vale, Kel could spot no useable pathways out again and so they simply followed the valley along. In some places it narrowed right down to a gorge and in other places, such as where the lake was, it stretched wide forming basins in the landscape.

On her third day of travelling the valley opened out onto rolling hills and pasture land. By this time Kel was weary, dirty and extremely hungry. She was saddle-sore and had taken to walking alongside Prince to give the stoic horse -and her behind- a rest.

Kel had practically slept in the saddle and had come a long way, putting many miles between her and Maggur's forces at Somalkt. All the time she rode she kept a look out for any signs of human life, but was unsuccessful in her quest.

After months of living in a thriving, bustling city, Kel's isolation weighed on her shoulders. She had tried to sing to herself to pass the time, but she quickly stopped; her voice had echoed nastily around the valley, merely emphasising her seclusion, not to mention that her voice was still hoarse and painful from the battle.

That night Kel decided that she needed more than a couple of hours sleep and so in the last rays of the sinking sun, she stopped Prince and dismounted. The first task that she set herself was to clean her sword and armour. The mixture of dried blood and sweat reeked, so she scrubbed the metal work clean using her tunic and laid it to dry on the soft grass.

Next Kel foraged for food, unable to bear her empty stomach any longer. She found a few bitter berries on a prickly bush and ate as many of them as she could find, wincing slightly at the taste. Now that the land was greener, Kel was able to find roots and other plants that she hadn't been able to in the rocky valley. None of it was remotely tasty, but it reduced her hunger somewhat.

With thirty minutes or so to spare until sunset many rabbits had poked their heads up from their subterraneous burrows to enjoy a nibble on the long, juicy grass. This gave Kel an idea. Using her head band as a sling she gathered several round pebbles.

Her first ten shots fell wide and Kel gritted her teeth in frustration. Each time, she gathered up her pebbles and waited for the rabbits to resume their grazing. Finally, just before dark Kel managed to stun a rabbit with a sharp blow to it's temple.

Not waiting for any sympathy for the creature to appear, Kel quickly and cleanly snapped the rabbit's neck. She used her dagger to cut the still warm creature open. In the fading light Kel quickly sorted out meat from organs.

The red meat was warm and sticky. With no way to cook it, Kel chopped it into small pieces and swallowed, chewing as little as possible on the slimy meat and trying not to gag at the taste.

It took a lot of self control to keep the meat down and keep eating, but Kel managed it. Her stomach was fuller than it had been in over four days. Before she slept Kel washed her hands and mouth thoroughly with water from the stream.

Sleep came quickly to Kel that night, although with it came terrible scenes of the battle. When Kel awoke for the third time, cursing Gainel the dream king, she decided that she would rather climb back into the saddle and ride on than face those memories again.

* * *

By day Kel rode, her mind full of tumultuous thoughts and worries and by night she slept badly, dreams plagued by vivid replays of the battle. She could see men dying, their faces contorted by pain, thrashing and twitching whilst Kel watched, burdened with the knowledge that it was she who had caused their suffering.

She refused to cry, because Kel felt that if she started crying then she would never stop. She had to focus everything on finding her way out of the wilderness and back to her homeland.

The landscape changed slowly and Kel observed the subtle differences through uninterested eyes; an odd evergreen tree here and there changed to small thickets and then into larger woods. Kel's first excitement was discovering a small homestead, but her hopes quickly evaporated as she drew nearer and discovered it to be in a state of abandon and disrepair. She didn't linger, not letting her mind dwell for too long upon the fates of the people that had once lived there.

So she continued travelling, snatching odd, uncooked meals here and there along the way. Kel's feet were blistered and bleeding from walking. Despite this pain, she still walked for hours to give Prince the regular rests that he deserved.

On her sixth day of travelling Kel unsheathed her sword and stared down at the weapon that had been used to kill so many. Resolutely she lifted Courage up and twirled the blade through the air, following one of the most complicated patterns that she knew.

It went wrong about halfway through and Kel grunted with frustration. Sweat was beading on her face and she could already feel the cotton shirt sticking to the dampness on her back. Scanran summer was unforgiving and the sun beat down from early morning to late afternoon with a fierceness that reddened her skin.

Kel had long since rolled up her shirtsleeves and breeches to allow for the little breeze to play across her bare skin. Wiping her forehead, Kel returned to the task at hand and began the pattern once again.

When she finally completed the intricate drill after several attempts a small feeling spiked through her, one that made a nice change from the anxiety and guilt that had been plaguing her -it was satisfaction. She had achieved something that not any average swordsperson could.

Words echoed in her ear. _Keladry of Mindelan you make them listen. _It became almost a mantra in her head as Kel rode and practised. She pushed herself to jog instead of walk, trying to maintain her fitness. Sometimes Kel made herself light-headed from all the exercise and little food. She fought the feeling off and kept pushing onwards, forwards never looking back.

A brown smudge on the otherwise green horizon. A line of slowly moving shapes blurry in the heat of the day. Kel barely dared to breathe, not wanting to raise her hopes only to have them come crashing down.

She sprang nimbly onto Prince for a better look. Yes, she was sure that those shapes were moving. Cautiously, for she was too far away to tell if the people were friendly or not, she kicked Prince into a trot, her eyes never leaving the tiny figures.

There was a certain disarray about the group of people that told Kel that they were not military. Any of Maggur's soldiers would be marching in a close, tight formation. These humans were struggling along, their group staggered and dotted with horses pulling wagons.

Kel spurred Prince on and she surged on top of her horse, relishing the speed at which the countryside was flying past. As she approached the bedraggled group of people she slowed from her canter into a slow trot.

A man bearing a loaded cross bow stepped forwards, his eyes darting from Kel to the people he was prepared to protect.

'I don't mean any harm,' said Kel, her voice husky from disuse. 'I escaped from Maggur's forces and have been travelling ever since.'

'Where're you headed?' asked the man, cautiously lowering his bow.

Kel shrugged, 'Anywhere that Maggur isn't.' She ignored the whispers that seemed to be circulating behind the headman.

'We're travelling to Maeslund,' said a tough-looking woman who stepped forward next to the man. 'We're refugees from Miltrak.'

Kel's steady hazel eyes took in their shabby attire and loaded packs, these people had probably lost everything.

'Maggur turned our town into an army barracks,' piped up a young man with a scarred face.

All eyes were on Kel, expecting her to tell them her story. 'Somalkt fell,' she said abruptly, 'seven days ago.'

The muttering grew louder and the adults all shook their heads, expressions grave.

'Can I travel to Maeslund with you?' asked Kel, biting her lip. She was tired of travelling alone.

The short woman with leathery skin nodded and turned back to the thirty or so individuals that had gathered behind her. 'Well it's no good hanging about here.' And the weary travellers trudged forwards again, Kel tacking on the edge of their train of horse-drawn wagons.

The wagons contained all the worldly possessions of the refugees from Miltrak. Kel was filled with anger at the injustice of Maggur's campaign. These had probably been peaceful citizens whose only crime was living in the wrong place. Maggur had just taken their houses and livestock without giving them any compensation.

Kel dismounted and approached a woman who was pulling on the sleeve of a young boy with a runny nose and tears in his eyes. 'My feet hurt,' he whined. The boy couldn't have been older than Isra. All of the younger children were perched in the wagons, but those of eight or so had to walk. The boy's elder sister was also trudging along stoically but Kel could see the blood that had soaked through her poor quality shoes.

'He's welcome to ride Prince,' Kel offered to the stressed looking woman. The woman looked Kel up and down, taking in her man's clothing, sword and splinted wrist. Kel could sense that the woman's pride wanted her to turn the offer down. Fortunately the woman had more sense than pride and she nodded briskly.

Kel scooped up the little boy and placed him in front of the saddle. 'You can get on as well,' she told the waif-like elder sister, helping her up to. Prince didn't need leading and he trudged after Kel, bearing the slightly heavier load with dignity.

The woman watched her children riding and though she said nothing to Kel, relief was evident on her face. Kel didn't mind; she was not the sort of person that needed to be thanked.

That night the refugees stopped and a camp fire was made. The younger children, not tired from a day of riding in wagons pranced about whilst their exhausted parents and older siblings set about cooking some food.

The meal was bland –rabbit and a few potatoes, but to Kel, who had been surviving on raw meat and berries for the past week, it was possibly one of the best things that she'd ever tasted.

After the meal Kel hovered awkwardly. The children scampered nervously around her, wary of the sword-bearing stranger whilst the adults remained aloof, chatting amongst themselves in tight knit groups.

Kel decided to go and have a wash in the river to try and lessen the smell of sweat that hung about her. Once she'd cleaned herself up as best she could, Kel sat with her toes dangling in the river, her boots beside her on the grassy bank.

Midges hovered in swarms above the slow running river, unaffected by Kel's presence. On the far bank rabbits cropped enthusiastically at the grass. Crickets clicked away contently, filling the air with their sound. Kel sighed and lay back on the warm grass, inhaling the heavy scents of summer.

She didn't close her eyes, for as soon as she did horrific images would fill her head. So Kel stared up at the dusky purple sky, watching the odd bird flit across her vision. It was so peaceful here, the rolling fields and woodland teaming with live. A stark contrast from the plains of Sekholm where thousands lay slain…

'Oh sorry,' said a gentle accented voice. 'I didn't see you lying there.'

Propping herself up on her elbows Kel looked to the speaker. A heavily pregnant girl with protuberant eyes was climbing down the bank. Kel was shocked; the girl only looked to be about fifteen.

_Not much older than me, _thought Kel, unable to comprehend having her own child. The girl washed her face in the stream and Kel lay back down. Although she had found company in terms of people, she felt no less isolated. She wasn't sure why she felt so set apart; was she afraid of losing more people, or was it that she still felt tainted by the battle?

Kel knew that she'd had no choice in war, but taking human life was nothing to be made light of. For every life that she'd taken, she would have to save a life to balance it out. _Great mother, _she prayed silently, _comfort those families who are now without fathers because of me. Please let there never be such a battle ever again, help Alex to end the bloodshed for everyone's sake. _

Kel sighed, wondering if the goddess ever heard her prayers. She rolled over, aware of the long grass tickling her face in the gentle breeze. Sleep was slow to visit Kel that night.

* * *

The black cat's tail twitched, as though flicking at an invisible fly. One elegant, long-fingered hand smoothed the fur on it's back absent-mindedly. The creature turned it's face upwards, letting the lamp light illuminate it's purple eyes.

The lady who petted the cat lifted her emerald eyes from the mirror that she held in her free hand. The cat meowed softly and stretched it's forelimbs. It stood and turned, peering intently at the mirror, examining the scene that the beautiful woman had been observing.

A young girl lay on a bed of wild grass, curled on her side. She wore ragged clothes but a sword was strapped to her hip even as she slept. As the cat watched a shadow passed across the girl's face and she flinched, her hand clenching at her side.

The small cat turned his face upwards, his amethyst eyes connecting with the goddess's startling green ones. A question was on his face.

'No little one,' murmured the goddess in a voice that was terrible as it was soft. 'Keladry of Mindelan will make her own way in the world.'

The cat turned back to the mirror where the sleeping warrior who had strayed so far from home still lay in the grip of her nightmare. For a moment the cat felt like arguing with the goddess, but after a pause he jumped off of the lap that had been his temporary seat and set off in search of something to eat. The goddess watched him disappear around the corner, his black tail whipping out of sight.

She sighed; yes Keladry of Mindelan would have to prove that she could make her own way in the world.

* * *

The breeze that filtered in through Kel's nostrils evoked old memories. The warm air was salty and Kel reminisced of days spent on the white sandy beaches of the Yamani Isles with her parents.

Sure enough, as they topped the next ridge the town of Maeslund sprawled beneath them, and beyond that the sea sparkled in all it's enormity.

Kel mounted Prince and said a few awkward goodbyes to the few refugees that she'd actually conversed with. As she rode away, she silently wished them all good luck, hoping that they could find somewhere to stay, preferably away from Maggur and his armies.

Due to the slow speed at which the refugees travelled it had taken Kel a further three weeks riding alongside the scanran families to reach her current destination. Along the way, without even realising it, Kel had turned fourteen and entered another year.

Kel cantered into Maeslund and slowed to a trot when she hit the busy streets. Prince was glad to stretch his legs and tossed his head happily. As they headed down through the markets towards the sea there was an overwhelming smell of fish. This fishy smell too reminded Kel of the Yamani islands -fish made up a large part of the Yamani diet.

Finally the houses fell away and all that separated Kel from the ocean was a sandy beach and to the left, a sturdily built harbour. Within that harbour lay a boat that would take Kel on the next part of her journey.

* * *

**(-a/n- **So what'd you think? I'd love to hear from you :D )

**Confusedknight xx**


	46. Southwards

**(-a/n- **I've been at it again…compelled to write by all of your fabulous reviews :D I really, really want to get the majority of this fic finished by the time I go back to school in September…well we'll see how that goes…here's no. 46 to keep you all out of mischief for ten minutes or so…

Sorry it wasn't up earlier, this is down to two things –I have discovered a liking for the programme Bones and have been watching far too much of it online! Secondly I don't like writing travelling scenes; it's hard to get the balance between moving the pace on at a speed that it doesn't get boring, but not so fast that it's shoddy. Grr. I hope this chapter's okay!

If any of you are interested, this and the last chapter were inspired by a pretty song 'The call' by Regina Spektor. Look it up on youtube :D

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed :D I'll try to answer any questions that you've got, but it's late and I don't have the energy to type up all of your names. You know who you are and if you were kind enough to leave a message -author sends a big virtual hug- you make all the hours at my computer worthwhile! )

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

The harbour at Maeslund contained an array of ships ranging from small, two person skiffs to large merchant ships that could transport large collections of materials or animals. Kel lead Prince along the wooden pathways, watching the ships bob up and down with the ever shifting sea. She was searching for the harbourmaster's office. Kel reasoned that it would be there that she could enquire as to which ships were leaving and where they would be headed.

At last she spotted a shack at the end of one of the many walk-ways. Built from wood and crusted with white salt from the sea, one frail door hung open. Kel approached the office, stepping to the side and pausing to allow a man to pass. He scowled at Kel in disapproval of her large horse. Kel ignored him and entered the hut, leaving Prince to stand and wait outside.

'Excuse me,' she enquired politely. 'Are any ships destined to sail to Tortall?'

The harassed looking man looked up from his task of paper shuffling, an incredulous look on his face. 'To Tortall?'

Kel nodded.

'Lass no ships go to Tortall anymore, the border's been closed ain't it?' His eyes held suspicion in their pale depths, as though trying to detect if the girl that stood before him was wasting his time on purpose.

'Well what's the furthest place I can buy passage to?' asked Kel, a slight trace of impatience entering her voice.

'The _Runner'_s set to leave for Hamrkeng tomorrow morn,' he replied, not needing to check his books. 'Takin' a fur shipment south. You'll be wantin' to talk to Captain Rinnen.'

'And where can I find Captain Rinnen?'

'Take the firs' left and keep walkin', _Runner_'s a fine lady, white and red sail; can't miss 'er.'

Kel bowed and left the shack, leaving behind a rather bemused harbourmaster. Following the instructions she soon stood before the _Runner_. Kel looked at the peeling paint, the barnacle speckled hull and fraying ropes. She wouldn't personally have described the boat as a "fine lady" but it would be an awful lot quicker to sail to Hamrkeng even in this slightly run down merchant vessel, than to brave weeks in the saddle.

Unable to see anyone, Kel hammered her fist on the salty wood. After a moments pause a man with dark brown hair emerged from below the decks. His dark hair was a novelty in Scanra and Kel caught herself staring. Immediately she ducked her gaze, embarrassed.

'Can I help you miss?' called the sailor in a strange accent.

'I'm looking to buy a passage to Hamrkeng for me and my horse.'

The sailor looked dubiously at Prince who stood just over seventeen hands high. 'I'll get th'Captain,' he mumbled and disappeared again.

A few moments later a small man with stringy muscles and chapped skin appeared. His beard, like his dark hair was wiry and peppered with grey.

'We're full up with furs down below,' he told Kel.

'I don't mind sleeping on deck,' said Kel hurriedly. 'I just need to get to Hamrkeng as quickly as possible.'

The man looked her up and down, dubiously. 'It'll cost you, especially with that horse of yours.'

'How much?'

The man considered the odd pair. 'For a passage on deck with three meals a day…nine gold pieces.'

'Six,' countered Kel.

'Eight,' he replied, accustomed to haggling over prices.

'Seven and a silver bit,' said Kel.

'Agreed', said the man, pretending to be disgruntled.

From a hidden compartment in Prince's saddle Kel drew out the necessary coins. In her last frantic minutes at Somalkt, Alex had stuffed as much money as he could into the pouch; not wanting it to fall into Maggur's hands. Kel rode with a small fortune tucked away. It would certainly be enough to keep her from going hungry when she returned to Tortall.

The man ogled slightly at the sudden appearance of the money.

'I'll pay you half when we leave the harbour and the second half when we arrive in Hamrkeng,' said Kel, showing him that she could afford the expensive journey.

'Fair enough,' agreed the captain. 'We leave tomorrow at sunrise, when the tide's high. You can sleep on the deck tonight if you want.'

Kel shook her head. 'I'll be there, sunrise tomorrow.'

Stowing the money, she bowed once to the sailors and turned Prince carefully on the narrow path. She had about twelve hours to spare and intended to buy a few things in the town.

She intended to buy some new clothes, so that when she entered Tortall she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself. It didn't take Kel long to find a shop that stocked plain working clothes. Again she left Prince un-tethered outside, confident in her belief that Prince would neither wander off nor let anyone else take him away.

As she entered the dark and pokey shop a tinny bell rang madly, alerting the tailor to her presence. The short man bowed politely. 'Are you in search of anything in particular miss?'

'Some plain shirts and breeches,' replied Kel gesturing to her attire. 'They need to be hardwearing mind.'

'Oh absolutely,' he agreed, shaking his head emphatically. 'I'm sure we have exactly what you're looking for.'

The man almost tripped over himself in his eagerness to fetch a small stool, which he then placed alongside a teetering set of shelves. 'Any colour preferences?' he called over his shoulder.

'Plain…' Kel shrugged, more interested in the clothes being clean than anything else.

'Here here,' squeaked the man, stepping down with his arms full of clothes. He laid the garments, which varied considerably in style and colour on a table so that Kel could inspect them with ease.

Kel picked out two pairs of dark brown breeches made from sturdy material that looked as though it could endure weeks of riding. Although the tailor had selected shirts in colours that ranged from a deep russet red, to pale greens and brilliant blues, Kel chose the un-dyed linen that was worn by most of the working class.

'I'll take these please,' said Kel, handing the slightly disappointed man the breeches and two shirts.

After paying and leaving a small tip, Kel returned to the bright sunlight of the scanran afternoon. As she walked through the quirky little town, she passed a fruit seller and purchased two apples. Prince devoured his in three juicy bites, but Kel took longer to eat hers, savouring the apple's cool, sweet taste.

Walking along, Kel wondered what she should do next; she had no desire to wait on the ship's deck all night. She considered searching to see if there was a bathhouse anywhere, but then decided that it would be a waste of money as onboard a ship she was likely to get covered in saltwater and dirt anyway.

In the end Kel and Prince spent the night on a hill overlooking the small town. Kel settled down barely noticed the discomfort of the hard, compacted earth and prickly grass. From her position she could see right out across the bay, the inky darkness of the sea against the scattered reflections of the moon's light. The small fishing town lay sleeping, all but a few lights extinguished.

A salty breeze caressed her skin and Kel found herself thinking that at least it was cooler to sleep outside. The darkness did not bother her; Prince was as good as any guard dog and wouldn't let anyone approach without her knowledge.

The stars winked down at Kel, keeping their silent vigil. She tried counting them; a game that she had played ever since she had been very small. Slowly Kel's eyelids drooped and she fell into a light sleep.

Waking up before dawn was no difficultly to Kel, who was still sleeping badly. Every time she woke up drenched in cold sweat, her muscles aching from being clenched, she gritted her teeth and told herself over and over that the dreams would get better in time. After all, she rarely dreamt of the tauros anymore. She would just have to endure them while they lasted.

Yawning, and accompanied by that horrible feeling of having slept but not recovered any energy from it, she stumbled through the semi-darkness down into the town. Unlike Somalkt, Maeslund was a hive of activity even before the sun had risen; the many fishermen were readying their boats in preparation for a long day's work. It took Kel less than ten minutes to find the _Runner_ again and after a little cajoling –Prince still disliked boats- the two of them were safely onboard.

A tanned sailor pulled up the anchor whilst another unfurled the mainsail. The offshore breeze caught gently in the material, teasing it until it danced and fluttered. The captain eased the mainsheet through a pulley, letting the boom swing wide. Kel felt the wood beneath her feet jerk forwards and she put out a hand to steady herself against the deck's wooden railing. They were off; the _Runner's _bow cutting smoothly through the clear water.

Looking backwards, the coastal town of Maeslund shrunk rapidly until it was but a speck on the horizon. Now that they were clear of the shallow waters and jagged edges of Scanra, a sailor heaved on the mainsheet, pulling the sail in close. Simultaneously the captain turned the prow southwards. The third sailor unfurled the jib and Kel felt the vessel pick up speed.

She looked behind at the churning waters left in their wake. She then looked ahead, to the unblemished horizon. Kel was finally making her way south, with every minute that passed drawing closer to Tortall.

* * *

Rinnen the captain and his two assistants took turns in sailing; that way they never had to stop and could make the most of the fair winds and good weather. In the evenings all three men would lounge on deck, telling stories and singing. For the most part Kel listened rather than contributed to these conversations, although on occasion she did recount a few stories of her own to the appreciative audience.

Kel learned that the reason for the sailors' black hair was their Yamani ancestry.

'My grandpa, along with several other men fled from the Islands with their families, during the reign of Emperor Akkuin the second,' Rinnen explained. 'Those were dangerous times and the newly appointed Emperor was arresting many supporters of his defeated opponent.'

'Wasn't he the Emperor who was assassinated two years into his imperial reign?' asked Kel, dredging up her memories of Yamani history lessons.

'Yes,' said the sailor Breu in a surprised tone of voice that reminded Kel to watch her tongue.

'But by the time Akkuin was killed our families had already settled in Maeslund,' sighed the captain.

'Some returned,' pointed out the youngest of the three men. He, unlike the others had hair very similar in colour to Kel's. Kel wouldn't have identified him as Yamani in origin if it hadn't been for the slanting eyes and slightly flatter nose that he possessed.

'Yes,' replied Rinnen gravely, 'And I fear that more people will do so before our town falls into the hands of Rathhausak.'

Kel didn't speak. She hated the way that the sailors had already accepted their fate but she couldn't blame them in the slightest. Somalkt had been a fortified town and it had barely lasted two days. Maeslund wouldn't have a chance against even a quarter of Maggur's army.

The conversation turned inevitably to Kel. 'And why are you travelling south all alone?'

_That, _thought Kel, _would take a long time to explain. _She shrugged, trying to be offhand. 'I got separated from my family a while ago. Things got in the way, I ended up fighting. Now I'm going home.'

Home. It was a word that was unfamiliar and strange to Kel. Home, where was her home exactly? For her whole life she had always been on the move, never staying in one place for too long. Kel supposed that Mindelan was meant to be her home, but she'd only spent her first four years there, a time which she could barely remember.

The Yamani Isles had never felt like home. Stuffed into the foreign customs, travelling with the Imperial court around the several different islands, Kel had never felt a connection to the places that they visited.

Then her next two years in Tortall had been spent in many different places; Mindelan, Corus, the City of the Gods, Goatstrack…Each bore many memories, some fond and others not, but she still would not call any of those places home.

Finally there came Scanra. Since meeting Alex Kel had travelled and journeyed many hundreds of miles, stopping every now and again to play a different part, like her life was one absurd play with many acts.

She sighed inwardly. Home. Whatever it was; place, person, feeling…Kel was sure that she had not yet found it.

* * *

Kel rubbed a salty cheek absentmindedly as the Runner glided smoothly up the busy waterway. Hamrkeng, being a inland city did not have a port directly attached to it, but through a series of canals the boats could travel part of the way towards the Scanran capital to Canush, a small town that was comprised almost entirely of a market. At this town the goods would be bought by traders who would then sell it on to individual shops all over Scanra.

It was at this town that Kel bid goodbye to the three men that had safely transported her from Maeslund. She felt a twinge of sadness as she walked away; they had been good men who had respected her for who she appeared to be.

'Come on boy,' she muttered to Prince, climbing into the saddle.

Horse and rider set off at a brisk pace down the road, small clouds of dust billowing around the chestnut's feet. A few minutes later the dust settled, leaving no trace that anyone had passed.

Kel travelled throughout the night, determined to get to Hamrkeng as quickly as possible. Although she was not sleeping, and therefore didn't suffer from nightmares, Kel's thoughts were plagued by Alex. Was he still alive? What was he doing? Had he been forced into slavery?

Kel had to believe that her friend was still alive; she couldn't dare to imagine it any other way. She had been separated from Alex for much longer than the five weeks it had been since she'd last seen him, but the knowledge that their separation would be years maybe even infinite, weighed heavily on Kel's mind.

The possibility of soon being able to see her parents, Neal and Lucie brought with it as many complications and worries as it did excitement. What could she possibly tell them about where she had been and what she had been doing? She knew that she couldn't just walk into her parents' townhouse and announce her presence. Awkward scenarios played across Kel's mind. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Hamrkeng was Maggur's territory and distracting thoughts could get her killed.

Kel would've been quite happy to avoid Hamrkeng altogether but there was someone that Kel felt she should at least attempt to find. It was an idea that had been growing inside her over the last week at sea.

There was a good chance that Marthea, Alex's Hamrkeng correspondent was still in the city. If that was the case then she deserved to know what had happened at Somalkt. Kel also needed to consult someone trustworthy about how to get out of the country. If the border truly was sealed off then she would not be able to cross at Fraslund. The land border was hundreds and hundreds of miles long, with plenty of places for Kel to slip through unnoticed. The real problem was crossing the Vassa. Any bridges or well known crossings would doubtless be guarded by Maggur's troops.

The last time that Kel had seen Marthea, the cook had still been employed by Vishnaucht's widow so Kel's plan was to make enquiries for the Vishnaucht household. She travelled the streets, recognising odd things; a bakery, a street corner. It was a strange experience. Normally when Kel left a place she did not return.

Kel arrived in a part of the city that was owned by the semi-wealthy. After the fire, the family would've downsized on their living accommodations.

'Excuse me,' Kel interrupted a passer-by from his musings. 'I don't suppose you know where the residency of the Vishnaucht's is?'

The man looked down his hooked nose and frowned at Kel's appearance. He shook his head in a quick jerking movement and carried on walking. Once the man was out of sight, Kel looked down. The state of her clothing _was_ dire.

Although she'd purchased new clothes in Maeslund Kel hadn't seen the point in putting them on as they would have just ended up like her current garments; salt-encrusted, stiff and smelling of sweat.

With a world-weary sigh, Kel continued on up the street, asking discreet questions. It was only at the street corner did Kel see a courier's office. A small needle of hope pricked at Kel's frustration.

'Madame Vishnaucht? She lives at six Hammerstreet, just around the corner from here,' said the helpful clerk at the desk. Kel beamed at him and uttered her thanks.

The house at number six Hammerstreet was plain, built from a mixture of flint and painted timber. Kel stepped right up to the front door and knocked, feeling the wood reverberate beneath her knuckles.

'Alright,' came a muffled voice from inside. 'What can I–'

The familiar voice was cut short as it's owner caught sight of the girl on the doorstep.

'You'd better come in,' said Marthea faintly.

'Who is it Marthea?' called another voice that Kel recognised. Torrianna Vishnaucht came down the stairs, her fingers caressing the iron banister.

'An old friend,' said Marthea, bustling Kel into the kitchen. 'In the name of goodness you look a mess!'

Kel felt like replying _thanks_ but managed to hold her tongue, tiredness was making her irritable.

Torrianna entered the kitchen. 'Marthea who is it?'

'Lia, she was a slave that your husband rented.'

Kel in truth couldn't remember the name she'd had when she'd worked under Marthea. She'd had so many pseudonyms that it was hard to keep track.

'You were the one that saved Samil,' Torrianna said slowly.

Kel was surprised; maybe the death of her husband had brought the haughty lady down a peg or two. She nodded.

Marthea set a mug of water down in front of the dirty girl and Kel muttered her thanks. All the while Torrianna observed her quietly. 'I see you're not a slave anymore.'

'No,' said Kel carefully, hating awkward moments such as these.

As they all waited in silence a cry could be heard from upstairs. The tired mother left wringing her skeletal hands in front of her.

'We can't talk here,' whispered Marthea urgently. 'Do you remember the lodging house where Alexei owns a room? Go there, I will be with you shortly.'

Kel had no choice but to obey. The kitchen in Torrianna Vishnaucht's house was not the proper place for the conversation that was about to occur.

* * *

The sunlight streamed in through the mullioned windows, illuminating a room that had changed very little since Kel had last seen it. When she had worked as a slave in Vishnaucht's house this place had been her retreat, somewhere to practise swordplay and get away from her miserable work.

There was still the same sooty hearth and blackened braziers, a neatly made bed, tidy desk, chest of drawers and a privy in the corner. A layer of dust however had settled over the room, rising in small clouds wherever Kel trod. She sat down on the bed, trying her hardest not to sneeze and waited for Marthea to arrive.

Footsteps could be heard coming up the staircase, their pace hurried, urgent. The door flew open and the large lady barged into the room, breathing heavily. As soon as the door clicked shut Marthea was demanding for details of Alex and his whereabouts.

'We have been hearing bad things, of battles at Somalkt,' said Marthea worriedly. 'Tell me Alexei is alright.'

Kel swallowed a lump in her throat; the news that she bore was not good.

'I don't know,' replied Kel heavily. 'We were fighting at Somalkt, Alex, Rhonda and I.' Kel inhaled, telling herself that the dampness in her eyes was from the disturbed dust. 'Rhonda was killed.'

The normally cheerful cook closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. 'And Alex?' she asked reluctantly, as though not wanting to hear the answer.

'I don't know,' Kel replied honestly. 'He sent me away, he wouldn't leave the people.'

'Stupid boy,' muttered Marthea. 'Does he not realise how important he is?'

Kel could find no answer for this, wishing wholeheartedly that Alex had left Somalkt with her. For a few minutes silence hung in the air, suspended between the two women.

'I also hear that I have you to thank for taking care of my daughter and her family.'

Kel swallowed again, another painful memory. 'I'm sorry I could not do more for her.'

'So am I,' said Marthea heavily, 'So am I.'

'It's so goddamned unfair,' said Kel in a rare display of anger. 'Good people like Rhonda and Jacqui don't deserve to die. And at Somalkt, thousands of people died, brave, wonderful people who stood up for what they believed in and were slaughtered because of it.' She looked up at the cook, her eyes haunted. 'Pray that you never see such things.'

Marthea made the sign against evil on her chest. They lapsed into silence again.

'And what are you doing now? If Alexei survived then he will probably head to Gelfunt in the north.' Sighing, the cook continued, 'The country is now split. Maggur is in control of all the central clans; Rathhausak, Miltrak, Hastanne, Gentlund, Somalkt and Sekholm. There are those to the North, Rokang, Moshaus and such like, but they are now cut off from Tinei, Dudine and Toishore in the south. They will all fall one by one, it won't be longer than two years before Maggur crowns himself.'

'I need to cross the Vassa,' said Kel. 'I have to get back to Tortall.'

'Tortall?' the older woman asked sharply. 'You can't leave us, Alexei needs you.'

'It was he who sent me away.' Kel's voice was almost breaking, 'I don't want to leave, but Alex said that there is not much more that we could do. He made me promise to go back…there are things in Tortall I have to do.'

'You're running away,' accused the woman.

'No,' Kel half shouted. 'I'm through with running away. I was running away when I came to this country, now I am returning to change things.' The statement passed from Kel's lips and for a moment Kel truly believed that what she hoped to achieve was possible. 'There will come a time when Alex needs me in Tortall, you can't overthrow Maggur without help from the Tortallans.'

'And why would they listen to you?' asked Marthea incredulously, in manner that reminded Kel of Rhonda.

'I'm going to make them listen,' said Kel quietly, her voice never wavering. 'I have my sword and I had the best teacher. When the time comes I will be there, I promise.'

Kel crafted another promise trying to convince the desperate scanran woman to believe that Kel would do everything within her power to help them defeat Maggur.

'Head east to the Smiskir road, then follow it down onto the Vassa road. Just south of that road is a den of smuggler's they'll take you across the Vassa,' Marthea gave the information abruptly, standing up. 'I'll trust you to be there.'

'I will be,' said Kel, 'with an army behind me.'

The cook made the symbol of Alex's campaign, and Kel replied in kind, raising her clenched fist to her head and her heart.

Marthea departed and with it went Kel's last connection to Scanra. She had tied up her loose ends in this country and now it was time to return to Tortall.

* * *

**(-a/n-** So the return to Tortall will be next chapter! I'll try to update soon, hopefully the next chapter won't be as much of a problem as this one! Also citrusfruit has been busy making me another pretty pic :D I'll upload a link soon!)

As always I'd love to know your thoughts,

**Confusedknight xxx**


	47. Crossing the Vassa

**(-a/n-** I'm so so sorry! It's been far too long! But a combination of sailing in Turkey, helping pull calves out of cows and teaching six-year-olds how to swim has kept me rather occupied. And then I find after a break it's always harder to get going again…

And now, to make matters worse the Olympics has started! Don't you just LOVE the Olympics?! It's such a phenomenal event with absolutely amazing athletes! I've been jumping up and down and shouting encouragement to my television; GO TEAM GB!! I don't know about you but the Olympics make me feel all patriotic! Anyway, as wonderful as they are they have been drawing my attention from fanfiction…

Thank you for **all **of your wonderful reviews; they bring a huge grin to my face :D I've tried to answer most questions…If I haven't then I'm sorry and ask again! (Obviously I'm not going to divulge huge plot details ;P)

Well this is the product of my afternoon and evening :D I'm on a bit of a high at the moment as I've just had my exam results and then went up to London yesterday to see Billy Elliot which is such a good musical! Anyway…without further ado…Chapter 47!

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

The breeze's teasing fingers caressed Kel's cheeks as she once more wiped away the strands of hair that had stuck to her sweaty forehead. The coniferous trees offered shelter from the blazing sun but the air was still extremely humid.

Prince lowered his head in a rare show of fatigue and Kel patted his damp neck encouragingly, feeling a twinge of guilt. Their journey from Hamrkeng had been relentless, Kel pressing on at every opportunity, barely stopping to rest as though sleep had become optional rather than a necessity.

'Just a little further boy,' she murmured through lips that were cracked from continued sun exposure.

She had left the Vassa road approximately two hours ago and had been wandering around in the forest ever since. Marthea's instructions had been a little vague and had left Kel with about twenty miles worth of riverside to search. It was frustrating, but Kel hoped that once she'd found the smugglers then she would be able to cross into Tortall without a delay.

Kel felt a sharp sting on her forearm and slapped at the skin in an attempt to squash whatever insect had decided to snack upon her. She felt like crying out in annoyance; this hapless search wasn't getting her any nearer to Tortall.

Prince suddenly stopped and Kel was about to kick him onwards when she suddenly noticed the ground where unmistakeable hoof prints could been seen, partially hidden beneath the ferns. Immediately her irritation faded away.

'Good boy,' she praised, giving Prince a hearty pat.

She dismounted and began to follow the trail on foot. Kel's legs were stiff and she tripped several times on the uneven ground, swearing colourfully under her breath whenever she lurched forwards. Living alongside soldiers and sailors had improved her vocabulary quite considerably.

The hoof prints, which gradually were joined by boot prints and paw prints led away from the river and Kel followed cautiously. The undulating land and thick trees made it hard to see very far ahead at all and Kel had arrived at the village before she'd even realised that it was there.

'Hey!' a shout was raised from the village and suddenly men and women alike appeared from inside their ramshackle houses.

'Wha'd'ya want?' demanded a scrawny fellow directly in front of Kel.

'I want to buy a passage across the Vassa,' said Kel simply.

'Well you've come to the wrong place lassie,' replied a woman a little too quickly.

'I don't think so,' said Kel taking a gamble. 'A friend told me exactly where to come.'

'Is that so?' asked one of the younger adults. 'And who might your friend be?'

Kel swallowed, 'His name is Alexei.' It felt strange to call Alex "Alexei" but she swallowed the feeling and waited, unaware that she was holding her breath. When the villagers didn't speak she continued. 'He and a lady named Rhonda came through here about five years ago, about six months later they returned.'

'I think I recall-' Kel's keen ears picked up the villager's mutterings.

'The Whisper man's friend?' asked another.

'Are you one of the Whisper man's?' the lady asked directly to Kel this time.

'I work for Alex,' said Kel devoutly, 'but he is working alongside the Whisper man, so I suppose, indirectly I work for the Whisper man.' Kel was rambling uncharacteristically, her exhaustion making her feel lightheaded.

'We can give you the passage that you desire,' said the head smuggler, emerging from the back of the group. 'But it will have to wait until nightfall.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, relief flooding through her. Suddenly her knees buckled and the world slipped sideways before fading away.

* * *

Something foul was stinging her nostrils and burning the back of Kel's throat. Her hazel eyes flickered open. Someone was holding a bottle of smelling salts under her nose. Kel propped herself upwards on the pallet and looked blearily around the dark room.

'Caused quite a stir you did,' said one of the plumper women, handing Kel a glass of water. Kel accepted it gratefully, ignoring the twinge of pain that darted up her splinted wrist. Six weeks from the battle and the bone hadn't yet knit itself together.

'Sorry,' Kel apologised, disorientated but feeling the beginnings of a blush creeping up from her neck. She sipped and found that the water helped to clear the grogginess from her head.

'You look exhausted,' said a grey-haired lady not unsympathetically. 'And your horse was near dead on his feet too.'

'Prince-' Kel started, but the woman interrupted her.

'My son's taken care of him. You get some sleep now.'

Kel nodded obediently, her bagged eyes slipping shut. One of the women rescued the almost empty glass of water from Kel's slackened grip.

The grey-haired lady looked down at the supine figure on the pallet. Were it not for the two swords at the girl's hip and her claims to know the Whisper man, Caena would've labelled Kel as a runaway.

It was not unusual for young girls in abusive relationships to steal their husband's horse and try to escape to Tortall where life was supposedly easier. Caena was wise enough to know the truth. People were people, and life was no easier in Tortall than Scanra. Their counterparts on the other side of the Vassa fared no better than they did.

The smugglers' existence was harsh, clinging to life on the very line that split two powerful countries. Tension was brewing. Initially the threat of Maggur and his decision to close off the border had been a blessing in disguise for the smugglers whose business had boomed. However war loomed on the horizon and if fighting did break out then inevitably thousands of Maggur's men would swarm southwards, putting the smugglers in danger of discovery.

Caena sighed and shooed the rest of the women from the room. She took a final look at the girl on the bed. She was undernourished and her tanned skin was spread too tightly across her bones. Despite the calm expression that rested over the delicate nose and slack mouth, from all she had seen the older woman had the impression that this girl, this woman, was tough. Caena slipped backwards out of the door.

* * *

A soft voice filtered in through Kel's consciousness and slowly, ever so slowly, her senses returned. The feel of the itchy woollen blanket beneath her cheek, the sweet smell of wood smoke, and the terrible weariness in her limbs. With a gigantean effort she sat up. The room that she had been left in was so dark that for a few seconds Kel hadn't realised that her eyes were open.

She took an inventory of her hurts. Her wrist still throbbed determinedly; she'd probably knocked it when she had fainted. There was a scratch on her cheek and lip from where she'd ridden into a particularly vicious bush the day before. Overall the heavy, dense ache in every muscle of her body seemed to have got worse despite Kel's nap. She wanted to groan and sink back to the pallet, but the soft music still filtered in through the open window and her curiosity got the better of her.

The singer's voice was haunting and sung an unfamiliar song, the melody wavering and fading gently with the end of each phrase. It was a strangely intense music considering the soft voice that formed the syllables of Scanran.

Kel pushed open the door and peered out. It was dark but a small fire in centre of the village illuminated the small huddle of people from which the music was soaring. Pulling the door shut behind her, Kel stepped out into the warm July evening.

The men, women and children said nothing when Kel joined them, continuing to appreciate the music in silence. Once the singer's voice faded into echoes applause broke out and the performer blushed prettily, returning to her seat.

It was only then that Kel's presence was acknowledged.

'Here, have some duck stew,' a woman held out a steaming bowl to Kel. 'Once everyone's eaten then Jeike will take you across the river.'

'Thanks,' murmured Kel and began to shovel the piping hot stew into her mouth. She could not remember when she had last eaten something this tasty. Amused by the stew's rapid disappearance, the kindly lady filled up Kel's bowl again.

Once the second bowl of stew had also been wolfed down, Kel sat contentedly, her hands splayed across her bulging stomach that was fuller than it could ever remember being. She waited patiently for the others to finish, staring at the glowing embers of the dying fire.

'This is Jeike my son,' introduced one of the women that had tended to Kel after she had collapsed.

'If you get your horse then we'll go now,' the broad-shouldered man said gruffly.

Kel clambered to her feet and turned to the small group of women.

'Thank you for everything,' and out of her pocket she drew two gold coins. Eyes all around her widened as she pressed the two coins into the nearest woman's hand. 'For the best stew I've ever tasted,' Kel said awkwardly.

Jeike indicated the lean-to stables and Kel quickly fetched Prince, tacking him up in minutes, her practised hands cinching the girth tight and buckling the bridle.

Together man, woman and horse trod a carefully disguised path down to a long flat beach marking the northern side of the raging Vassa River. You could hear the river before you saw it; the roar growing louder and louder as you grew nearer, a noise so great that it drowned out even the loud chorus of crickets.

From behind a rocky outcrop Kel helped Jeike to drag a small skiff, just big enough to transport one horse and a couple of people. They moored the boat until it was bobbing gently in the shallows. The next, more complicated task was to persuade Prince to get onboard. The big horse didn't like boats at the best of times but this wobbly, small craft seemed to be asking too much of him.

'Come on Prince,' Kel murmured, pressing her face to his neck. 'I can't leave you behind; I need you.'

Twenty minutes of gentle cajoling later, Prince was standing between two rails in the ships hull. Hopefully the rails would keep him upright despite the rocking and rolling of the boat. Kel continued her quiet singing to Prince under her breath, whilst Jeike was readying the boat that would take them across the forty metres of icy water that separated the two banks.

Kel tried to ignore the nerves that were jangling in her stomach. The Vassa was a powerful force of nature and she remembered an old northern proverb; "The Vassa keeps what it takes." She prayed that the river wasn't feeling in a 'taking' mood.

They floated out of the gentle water at the edge of the river and Kel felt the current really take hold of the boat. Jeike's muscles bulged with the effort of driving the pole into the riverbed and pushing the boat forwards, fighting the current.

Prince rolled his eyes in terror as the boat was buffeted around as though it weighed no more than a piece of driftwood. Ice cold spray soaked Kel to the bone, making her clothes feel heavy and clingy.

A particularly violent wave slammed into the side of the boat and Kel hit the boat's railings, with a nasty thud. Groaning, and knowing that her ribs would be black and blue by the morning, Kel braced herself. She planted her feet firmly and gripped as tightly as she could to a railing. Her sore wrist throbbed dully but she clung on all the same. If she were tossed overboard then she'd have a lot more than a broken wrist to worry about. Kel screwed up her eyes, barely able to see or breathe through the spray.

When the hull ground into the gravel on the south side of the river, it was with considerable relief that Kel jumped out onto the solid ground. The only one more relieved to be back on land was Prince, who stood looking sorry for himself at the top of the gravel shore whilst Kel helped Jeike hoist the boat away from the racing river.

'Is it always that fierce?' asked Kel.

Jeike considered the question. 'No, but that's not to say that the Vassa is ever calm. And likewise we have seen a lot worse.' Kel shuddered, unable to imagine the river any more agitated that it was.

'Are we actually in Tortall now?' asked Kel, looking around at the landscape that looked just the same as on the other side of the Vassa.

'Not quite yet,' shrugged Jeike. 'The border's somewhere around here but no one really cares about this land; it's inhospitable, the trees are too thick and their roots to deep to farm anything. Just south of here is Anak's Eyrie but they don't want to lay claim to this bit of elk dung. Still, it suits us well enough to be left alone.'

After a short walk up a winding trail, they came to a cluster of longhouses inside a roughly hewn palisade. A man armed with a crossbow emerged from the shadows.

'It's Jeike,' Kel's companion called out.

'Jeike?' replied the watchman. 'It's been too long.' They clasped arms and thumped each other on the back.

'Come in, come in, mother will be glad you're here.' The watchman ushered them inside the wooden walls. Kel followed silently noting that the man spoke Scanran despite being south of the Vassa.

Kel tethered Prince outside the nearest longhouse and followed the two men inside. A strong smell of wood smoke and animal hung in the air. Men and women lounged around a dying fire in an eerie replication of the scene north of the river.

'A new arrival,' rasped an old woman, climbing unsteadily to her feet. 'Come with me lassie.'

Before Kel left she pressed another gold coin silently into Jeike's hand.

The old woman tottered outside to a smaller wooden building where she collected a jug that was covered with a piece of cotton to stop the flies entering. The jug glowed brightly in her hand; evidently this woman was a mage.

'Here, drink,' said the woman handing her a cup.

Kel sniffed warily, 'What is it?'

'If you're questioned under torture then you won't reveal how you crossed the Vassa. We have to protect ourselves,' she croaked.

'And if I refuse?' Kel asked, knowing all too well that the potion could be a poison or a drug.

The old woman raised her eyebrows and reached out a withered hand to the glass. She drunk and swallowed noisily. 'There,' she said, 'No poison.'

Sighing, and knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to leave until she did so, Kel took a big swig and swallowed. The mixture was an infusion of several strong herbs and Kel pulled a face. The mage chuckled, 'And that's one of my nicer remedies.'

Kel placed the warm mug back on the mage's work bench.

'So you have business in Tortall?' the woman inquired innocently.

'Yes,' said Kel grimly, 'unfinished business.' She pushed her hair out of her tired eyes with one hand and with the other she flipped a silver coin to the woman, who caught it with surprising ease.

'If all goes well then we may meet again,' said Kel, already thinking of her return to Scanra before she'd even left the country. And she strode of into the night, her uninjured arm resting on her sword belt.

'Come on boy,' Kel mounted Prince who was just as wet as she was, and rode out of the shelter of the smuggler's den.

The old mage watched the strange, defensive girl leave. 'Gods all bless youngster,' she thought, recognising the fire and determination behind a worn, passive exterior.

* * *

By midmorning, Kel's path wound upwards and she came out on top of a bluff that overlooked the surrounding area for miles. She saw a castle in the distance and presumed that it was the fief Anak's Eyrie. Surely by now she must be in Tortall?

Later that day she exited the dense forest and found herself on a well-travelled road that seemed to unfurl ever southwards. Now she knew she was in Tortall, because the road was well maintained and had wooden signposts indicating the directions and distances to various fiefs.

When the main road began to wind to the east, signposted to Northwatch fortress, Kel left it in favour of another road. By the evening she was tired and sweaty and decided to find an inn to stay in overnight.

Despite the fact that she was now safer than she had been for over two years, beyond Maggur's reach at last, she couldn't help but feel on edge. She kept glancing over her shoulder, as though suddenly her older brothers would come riding down the road and discover her.

She had toyed with the idea of returning to Goatstrack, but she felt that if she settled down into Fanche's house again it would be very difficult indeed to leave. Besides it had been a long time since she had last seen the Weirs. She had been a very different girl then, still healing from her ordeal at the convent and yet having not seen the true horrors that the world had to offer. No, thought Kel it would be better not to impose myself on anyone.

As the sun was setting, Kel stopped at a quaint little inn that stood at the very centre of a small village. The building itself was thatched and had had so many extra rooms added to the original building that it sprawled across a large area.

Chickens clucked in the stable yard as Kel lead Prince to a dry, straw-filled stable. She took off his worn tack and used fistfuls of straw to rub down the sweat-soaked patches of his coat.

Kel reached her arms up and hugged the gelding's neck, burying her face in his mane. 'I'm sorry for the last few weeks,' she whispered, 'I know it hasn't been fun.' She swallowed, 'I miss him too.'

Almost as though he understood Kel, he turned his neck and lipped gently at her hand. They stood for a while, as companions who had been through so much together. Then with a final pat, Kel left the stable and made her way into the Inn.

'Hello there,' called out the bartender in Common as Kel entered the dim room. 'And what can I do for you missy?'

Kel blinked at the unfamiliar language. 'Um…a room for me and a stable for my horse.'

Kel was surprised to find that her Common had developed a bit of an accent.

'Step this way,' said the man cheerfully, not batting an eyelid at Kel's filthy clothing, swords and single bag. She followed the man up some carpeted stair and into a bright, clean room. 'I'll bring you up some hot water for a bath,' said the man bustling out.

'Thank you,' murmured Kel, slipping off her dirty boots so that she didn't ruin the soft rugs on the floor.

Five minutes later the man reappeared with a steaming pot of water which he dumped into the tub of cold, clean water. He tested the bathwater with two fingers. 'Perfect!' He exclaimed. 'Well, there are towels in that cupboard to your right. If you need anything else give me a shout. I'm Emery.'

'Lia Strongarm,' said Kel; it was the first name that she could think off. 'Thank you very much.'

The man bowed and exited. Once she'd shut the door firmly Kel made a beeline for the hot water. She stripped and half jumped into the tub, causing some water to slosh over the side. 'Thank you very much', Kel mouthed the unfamiliar words, letting them roll off of her tongue. It would take her a day or two to adjust to the different language; at least it had done when she'd returned from the Yamani Isles. She had to force herself to stop thinking in Scanran as well.

She stayed in the bath tub for as long as she could before the water got too cold. Feeling amazingly clean, Kel put on one of the shirts that she'd acquired in Maeslund and a clean pair of breeches. She towelled her hair dry and went downstairs to eat some supper.

The Inn was quiet and apart from a family of four, and a lone man sitting in the corner, Kel was their only customer.

She ate as much as she could and hurriedly returned to her room, trying to conceal her yawns; the food had made her sleepy.

She removed her breeches, and dressed in just a shirt she went to wash her face before bed, making most of the luxuries on offer. Kel was however distracted by her reflection in the mirror that stood above the washbasin.

Mirrors were uncommon in Scanra, or at least in the places that Kel had been living. This was the first real chance she had had to examine her appearance in a long time. She was more tanned than ever and sun-bleached hair tumbled down past her shoulders. Her face had lost any puppy fat that it had once had and although her mouth and eyes remained the same, she had scars that she hadn't once had and a slightly crooked nose. It was not a girl that stared back from under long lashes, but a woman, one that Kel was sure she knew.

Sighing, all thoughts of face-washing forgotten, Kel climbed into the bed which felt as soft as clouds after weeks of sleeping on the ground. Within seconds she was asleep.

* * *

_The tauros was there, panting heavily and tramping at the ground. Kel turned to run and was faced with the leering face of Stenmun Kinslayer, wielding an axe identical to the one that had smashed her arm at Somalkt._

_One hundred metres away Alex was struggling in his fight against four of Maggur's soldiers. He was calling out, looking desperately around for her, looking for reinforcements. _

_The tauros lumbered forwards and Kel's sword grew heavy in her hands, growing to the size of the ceremonial sword in the Goddess's temple. She tried to perform an eagle sweep but almost tripped over the blade. Stenmun was laughing alongside a blonde man with a blurry face, a blonde man that Kel just knew was Maggur. _

'_Let's watch the little wench die before dealing with our other problem.' _

_The tauros knocked her to the floor, was pawing at her skirts…Kel twisted this way and that, in an attempt to free herself. She turned her head, squirming and came face to face with the glassy eyes and bloodless face of a dead soldier._

_With a stifled scream Kel realised that she was lying on the plains of Somalkt, among the thousands of dead. Except suddenly all the nameless faces became that of her family, Neal, Merric, Prince Roald and even Lucie._

_She was trapped, she couldn't do anything, she had failed to save anyone..._

'Nooooooo,' Kel's voice was muffled by the duvet. She struggled and eventually wiggled herself free of the heavy blanket. Breathing heavily and sticky with sweat, she stumbled over to the window and slammed it open, letting the cool wind soothe her face.

'_It was just a dream,'_ she told herself over and over again. '_Just a stupid, horrible dream.'_

All the same, it was a long time before Kel had the courage to shut her eyes and attempt to sleep again.

* * *

**(-a/n- **Again, more travelling, but I'm setting the mood for the next part of the story. I really am hoping to get to the prologue by the time I get back to school (3rd September) But as ever we shall have to see because things have a nasty habit of springing up… )

P.s. The song that the scanran girl was singing was 'Prologue ('Lasto I Lamath')' From the Lord of the Rings musical…You can probably find on youtube if you're interested.

Please tell me what you thought,

**Confusedknight xx**


	48. The Southern Desert

**(-a/n- **Sorry! Again, a much later update than I anticipated…I'll admit that recently my ability to maintain focused on a single task has decreased somewhat, so thanks for all of your nagging :P

Oh, a thing that I've been meaning to ask for ages…is that has anyone else noticed that Squire skips a year?...It's been confusing me as I try to work out events that should be occurring soon…:S

**Citrusfruit **being the wonderfully kind and talented friend that she is has made me a new fallen cover! :D –beams- It features Kel, Alex, Rhonda and Tor (Hopefully you can guess which is which!) -There should be a link on my profile page...

As always thanks for your lovely comments and messages of encouragement. This chapter, and every other that follows it, is for you! )

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

Kel's breath hitched in her throat at the sight before her. There it was, sunlight glinting off it's many windows, Corus, the capital of Tortall. The city was nestled in a valley that was cut in half by a shimmering river. Roads snaked into the city from all angles and in the west the ground rose upwards, temples and estates scattered too numerous to count. At the very top of the hill, towering over everything else stood a magnificent castle. This was the royal palace, its towers mighty, flags dancing in the wind.

The view was one that bards had sung about for centuries, that the finest artists had depicted in astounding detail. To Kel, Corus represented all that she had been running from for the last three years.

Prince whickered and tossed his head impatiently. Kel wondered briefly if he'd ever been to Corus before. Alex had never mentioned visiting the city, so Kel guessed not. Despite her urgency over the last couple of weeks, now that she was here Kel was at a loss as what to do. She had been so focused on reaching the capital that she hadn't really considered what she would do when she arrived there.

Would her parents still be in the city? Or would they have returned to Mindelan or the Yamani islands? Kel felt like she couldn't simply announce her presence. It would have to be under the right circumstances.

Prince sidestepped agitatedly and Kel leant forward to pat him soothingly. Her necklace that had remained with her through everything fell out of her loosely-laced shirt. She glanced down at the delicate chain on which hung a collection of charms; her lucky Yamani cat, the charm against pregnancy and a small wooden hawk, the small wooden hawk that Fassin had given her, Fassin who could be in Tortall.

Hope suddenly flared within Kel; to be able to talk to someone who knew what was happening in Scanra would be a big comfort. He might have some ideas about how she should go about gathering Tortallan fighters, and as Kel preferred the idea of seeking out the Bloody Hawk tribe to sneaking back into the city she rode on along the great south road. Every now and again she felt twinges of guilt that she was letting herself postpone the moment when she would return to Corus.

* * *

The desert was hot, dry and dusty but Kel had coped with more severe temperatures in Scanra. She was also used to the blank landscape that stretched ever onwards, unchanged by human hands.

As Kel had journeyed southwards, the leafy green trees had shrunk into gnarled, prickly bushes. The once lush grass had become ever sparser until it disappeared altogether leaving brown cracked earth and then sand.

Currently a healthy breeze was whipping sand up into her face and Kel had wrapped her headscarf protectively around her head to prevent small particles from entering her eyes, nose and mouth. She found the scarf suffocating and removed it whenever possible, preferring to feel fresh air on her damp skin.

The ride from Corus to Persopolis took a week, but eventually the huge granite city loomed before Kel, it's streets bustling with life. All around Kel men and women bartered in their muffled Bazhir accents.

Although the women were hidden behind veils, the dark Bazhir men with matching coal-black eyes and hair contrasted greatly with the fair, blonde-haired and blue-eyed Scanrans that Kel had been living around.

After refusing the offer of a pair of shoes for just two copper nobles, Kel headed up a slightly quieter street. She was wondering where the best place to enquire after the Bloody Hawk tribe would be, when she heard raucous cries of laughter bouncing of the brick walls.

Turning her head to peer down a side alley Kel saw four boys chasing a small brown bundle towards her. She hopped down from Prince and as the small, lolloping creature came closer she realised that it was a puppy.

A stone thudded to the ground and skidded along until it came to rest at Kel's feet. The puppy yelped as a second stone struck its back. Anger flared within Kel and she started forward. This would not be a fight with the sword, but with her fists.

The boys halted, the laughter dying in their throats at the sight of the woman standing before them, her fists raised.

'Go away _girl,'_ called the smallest boy boldly, trying to impress his elder companions.

Unfortunately, he'd just said the one thing that would anger Kel even further. The leader of the group barged forward, trying to pass Kel in the narrow space. Kel shoved him back roughly, not moving from her position.

'That's my mutt,' said the boy.

'Not anymore it isn't,' said Kel firmly, her eyes daring the boy to argue.

'You can't take him, that's stealing,' protested the boy, almost smugly. Kel shrugged, waiting for the boys to back off.

'The nameless ones will curse your family,' threatened a boy with a slightly lop-sided face.

'The nameless ones are dead,' Kel dismissed. 'The Goddess will curse your families for hurting this innocent animal.'

'He's only a runt,' said the boy carelessly, 'He'll probably die anyway.'

'Then leave him,' Kel replied simply.

One of the other boys barrelled straight at Kel, almost comical in his intentions and she threw a solid punch that connected with the boy's cheekbone. He reeled away, clutching at his face. Before Kel knew it the other three boys were piling in on her.

Soon she was throwing punches with her good left hand, ducking, weaving and kicking at speed. None of the boys had any particular skill, but they outnumbered Kel four to one and Kel didn't escape without any injuries; a cut on her lip bled slowly and the next day she was going to have a wonderful black eye.

However when the boys finally scampered back up the alley they were clearly worse off, clutching broken noses, sprained wrists and assorted bruised ribs. Unclenching her fist from its fighting position and wincing slightly at her tender knuckles Kel turned around.

It took her several minutes to locate the quivering ball of puppy that had been the cause of all the fuss. Its ears were too big for its head and as Kel picked it up it yapped frenziedly. The fur that covered its quivering form was black with speckles as though a painter had flicked grey paint across a dark canvas. The coat was smooth and sleek apart from a couple of odd-looking tufts and a bloody gash on its rump.

Kel soothed the animal and its yapping quieted to a low grumbling.

'What am I going to do with you then?' asked Kel as the pup tried to nip her finger.

Prince wandered over to inspect the new arrival, inhaling the dog's scent through a velvety muzzle. He snorted, evidently unimpressed.

Kel used her sleeve to wipe away the slow dribble of blood that was oozing from her lip, wincing as the fabric connected with the bruised and damaged skin.

'Come on Prince,' she said, tucking the puppy under her arm, 'it looks like he's staying with us.'

* * *

The ever-shifting sand obscured Kel's vision but she was pretty sure that she could make out a cluster of tents on the horizon. She rubbed her forehead feeling the beginnings of a headache. Kel had finished her last gourd of water an hour previously and the puppy which now sat huddled in a carrier on her saddle whined continually.

'I know you're hungry,' she pleaded with it for the umpteenth time, 'but I have nothing to feed you.' The puppy that had now been named Ash didn't take any notice. Prince whickered, also fed up with the noisy youngster.

As Kel continued to make her way over the sand dunes, the group of tents grew more defined. She could start to make out horses picketed in the shade of the tents and people dressed in burnooses milling around.

Kel had received her directions from a tavern landlord and at the time Kel hadn't been to sure how trustworthy his word would be, but it seemed that after three days of travelling from Persepolis she had finally reached the Bloody Hawk tribe.

Three men stepped out to meet her armed with swords and a recurve bow.

'Who rides there?' asked the leading man.

'Elinah Strongarm,' Kel called back, using the name that Fassin would know her by. 'I am a friend of Fassin of the Bloody Hawk tribe.'

The men lowered their weapons and Kel dismounted, her worn boots sinking into the hot sand.

'Shar's boy? One man asked the others.

'We will fetch Fassin, Northerner,' they addressed Kel.

Kel nodded, relieved that Fassin was staying with his tribe and not travelling somewhere. She unwound her headscarf, much to the men's disgust, allowing her damp, sweaty hair to fall down her back.

After a few minutes a man in a plain burnoose came sprinting across the campsite. Kel smiled recognising her old friend even at a distance. Fassin skidded to a halt only steps from Kel and pulled her into a massive hug.

As she clung to the Bazhir man for dear life, Kel fought back tears of relief. When they broke apart, his beetle black eyes examined her from head to foot.

'I almost didn't recognise you,' Fassin said honestly. 'You've grown a lot.'

Kel smiled weakly, 'It's been a long time.'

'Too long,' agreed Fassin. 'Come let us talk. The men will take care of your animals.' He tucked Kel carefully under one arm, guiding her into the tribe.

Kel shifted uncomfortably in Fassin's hold, aware that people were staring at her from under the shade of awnings and tents.

'You must ignore them,' said Fassin in an undertone, 'we do not have many northern visitors, especially not women.'

He led her to a large tent, constructed from sheets of heavy beige material spread across a sturdy wooden framework, and pushing the tent flap aside they entered. Woven mats covered the floor and in the corner was a raised pallet for Fassin to sleep on.

Kel seated herself on the floor and Fassin disappeared outside, only to return minutes later with two pitchers of lightly spiced juice. Kel sipped in silence, wondering where she could begin her tale.

'So when I last saw you, you were heading off to Gentlund,' stated Fassin matter-of-factly.

Kel nodded, and then cast her eyes around. 'I don't want to be overheard.'

'Speak in Scanran,' he advised, 'You will be heard but not understood.'

Kel nodded and began to summarise all the events of the past year and a half. It was not a happy story. She gave Fassin only the relevant details; missing out the more personal extracts such as Idan and the close relationships she had built with Jacqui's children. When it came to the battle of Somalkt, Kel found that she scarcely had words to describe the things that she had witnessed. At the news of Rhonda's death Fassin had bowed his head.

'She was good woman,' he said in his stunted Scanran.

Kel nodded, pausing before she continued to explain that Alex had sent her home.

'And now I am here, I have no clue how to gather the support that Alex needs.' Kel finished, slightly hopelessly.

'It difficult in Tortall. The power is if you have noble, if you _are _noble' he corrected himself. 'And of course knights are having much power.'

Kel swallowed, thinking that she could satisfy one of the criteria.

'But you are woman, forgive me, but men they think not well of woman fight.'

'If I could just show them,' said Kel, frustrated. 'If I could beat some of the knights, with important people to witness…then they might take me seriously.'

'There is the King's Tournament,' said Fassin reverting to Common in his excitement. 'Anyone can enter that; you'd get the opportunity to fight against the knights then.'

'When is this tournament?'

'Next June.'

Kel's initial excitement dropped, next June was ten months away. Surely that was too long for her to sit around doing nothing? But then again, the war was still years away, Maggur had to conquer the other clans and then build up and train his army. The next ten months wouldn't be wasted; Kel could restart her serious training now that she wasn't travelling…

Fassin could see the thought turning over in Kel's mind and decided to leave her to decide what to do.

'Come, let us find something for you to eat.'

Over a meal of bread stuffed with goat's cheese and sticky sweet dates, Fassin introduced Kel to his Mother Laila and his father Shar. His two sisters, Laila told Kel, had married into other tribes.

'And now our son is the Shang Jackal,' Shar said proudly.

'You passed your ordeal?' Kel asked, pleased that her friend had been able to join the elite band of warriors despite losing his mentor in Scanra.

'When I arrived in the Yamani Isles and explained what had happened they allowed me to take my Ordeal and I was given the rank of a Jackal.'

'A fine desert animal,' said Shar heartily.

'Unfortunately,' continued Fassin, 'it means that I cannot stay here for very long; I am needed elsewhere.'

'But you are more than welcome to stay with us,' invited Laila. 'Fassin told us how you rescued him from slavery and we are indebted to you. What we have is yours also. We will speak to the headman. You may live here as long as you like.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, slightly astounded by their generosity. 'But Fassin also saved my life. You needn't owe me anything.'

'But it is our way of thanking you,' replied Shar. 'We would be honoured to share our home with such a fine warrior.'

Kel bowed her head, unable to refuse such a compliment.

After they had eaten, Fassin challenged Kel to a friendly duel.

'Let's go where everyone can see us,' he muttered in an undertone, 'I think that it will help you to be accepted by the tribe.'

Kel began to stretch out, teasing the weariness from her muscles and feeling them warm as more blood entered her capillaries. She unsheathed Courage, revealing its gleaming blade.

Fassin raised his eyebrows at her new weapon. Wordlessly Kel handed it to him and he attempted a couple of swings and passes. Fassin whistled, 'This is a fine blade.'

Kel nodded, accepting it back from the Shang and letting the hilt fit snugly into her palm. Although it was probably worth more gold than Kel had ever held in her life, its real value lay in the fact that it was one of two things that Alex had given her; the other being Prince whom Kel viewed as a loan rather than a gift.

'Swords only,' Fassin instructed, loud enough that their audience could hear.

Kel nodded confidently and allowed her mind to focus solely upon Fassin and his long sword.

They stepped together and the dance began. Their live blades clashed together but neither fighter noticed the noise as they attacked and blocked in perfect synchrony. Wherever Fassin's attacks landed, Kel's sword was already there, blocking and twisting away.

Fassin had the advantage in that he was physically stronger than Kel and possibly slightly faster. But Kel had been trained almost exclusively with the sword whereas Fassin's time had been split between a multitude of weapons. Courage was part of Kel's body, snaking and jabbing at a blinding speed. Her attacks were efficient, consistent and at speed. Fassin would launch a big attack on her defences and then but he would pause for micro seconds between attacks. Kel on the other hand, slid smoothly between the moves, her sword never faltering in it's path.

It was during one of these minute pauses that Kel's attack abruptly changed direction and, taking a risk Kel twisted her sword up and over Fassin's blade, wrenching it from his hand. She leapt forward to press the blade to his neck.

'I yield,' he smiled, wiping sweat from his forehead.

They bowed to each other and Kel sheathed her sword. It was only then that Fassin noticed that she had fought the fight with her left hand.

'I'm sure you were right-handed before,' he said, accepting water from Shar.

'I am,' replied Kel sipping at her own water. 'But I've injured...' She lifted her splinted wrist.

'Kourrem should be able to fix that in no time.' The big man smacked his lips as he finished the water. 'Let's go see her now, and then you will be able to train with both hands.'

* * *

The Shaman's tent where Kourrem lived was large and airy, decorated with intricate weavings of many different colours. Although she wore a headscarf like all the other Bazhir women, Kel would've estimated her age to have been in her thirties.

'Let's have a look at this wrist then,' Kourrem said kindly when Fassin explained the problem to her.

Kel unbuckled the worn wrist guard and winced at the familiar ache. The woman laid a long-fingered hand on her wrist and cool fire tingled from the point of contact all the way from Kel's elbow to the tips of her fingers.

'Well this certainly was a nasty break, you're lucky that it hasn't healed crookedly.'

Kel thanked Rhonda silently for sparing a little of her precious gift to set the bone healing straight.

'I can finish the process and strengthen the bone, although you may find that it will still ache from time to time.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, settling back in her chair to let the healer work.

Five minutes later her wrist felt considerably better, although weariness had settled in her bones. 'I always feel sleepy after healings,' she yawned as a way of explanation.

Supporting his friend across the campsite, Fassin led Kel into the cool of a tent. 'You can stay here for the time being,' he told her, fetching rugs and pillows for Kel to sleep on. 'We'll talk more once you've rested.'

Kel thanked him shyly and waited until Fassin had left the tent before settling down into the comforting embrace of the many cushions and blankets piled on the floor. It took barely more than a few seconds after shutting her eyes for Kel to fall into a restful sleep, untroubled for once by nightmares and memories.

Even after five weeks Kel was still getting used to the Bazhir way of life. It was strange but nice to have a steady routine to settle into.

She rose at dawn every morning and hunted with the men of the tribe, Prince easily keeping up with the flighty horses of the desert men's. Kel would then eat some breakfast with the other unmarried women, before embarking upon hours of training with Fassin. They fought with swords, they fought without swords. They used daggers, bows and even staffs for hours at a time, Fassin besting Kel easily in everything but swordplay.

During the hottest hours of the day Kel retreated into her tent where she began to perform press ups and other strengthening and flexing exercises.

The afternoon would then be devoted to more training and it was only in the evening did Kel lay down her sword to help Laila and the other women to cook the meals. Fala, a heavily pregnant lady, had been teaching Kel how to weave. Her first attempt hadn't been going too badly until the ever-growing Ash decided that Kel's half-finished hand towel would make a perfect play toy. Kel had scolded the little puppy at the time, but she hadn't got it in herself to remain angry at him for very long.

Now, on the day before Fassin was due to leave, Ash lounged on her stomach, three times the size that he had been on the day when Kel had rescued him in the alleyway. Kel grunted and tried to shove the young dog off of her. Ash wasn't budging, a dopey grin settled firmly on his sweet face.

Despite all the best efforts of the children to win Ash over, he remained utterly devoted to Kel and followed her everywhere. She had given up trying to leave him in her tent or in the care of the children because he inevitably found his way back to her. Even Prince seemed to have accepted that Ash was here to stay.

'I thought I'd find you out here,' said Fassin, settling down next to Kel on the dune.

Together they looked out upon a world that continually moved, grain of sand at a time, so that it almost appeared that the night stole the landscape and replaced it with a new one every morning.

'Just enjoying the last bit of sunlight,' Kel smiled over at him.

It was a relaxed smile. For the first time in years Kel felt thoroughly safe and secure. It was unlikely that anyone she recognised would find her out in the desert, and she was a long way from slave plantations and Maggur's armies.

Fassin had noticed the calm that had descended over his smaller friend. He thought that the look suited her, that the desert suited her.

'I've been talking to the elders for a couple of weeks now,' started Fassin, 'and they agree with me. Elinah we'd like you to join our tribe.'

If Kel had been sitting on a chair she would've almost certainly fallen off of it. As it was she jerked upright, and Ash fell off, grumbling reproachfully.

'You've lived as part of the tribe for long enough. You hunt with us, you eat with us. This is just a formality.'

'Fassin it's a big honour,' Kel half whispered.

'I think you've earnt your place as a warrior of the tribe. You deserve to be able to sit at the Tribe's fire and commune with the Voice of the Tribes.'

'Who is this Voice that you all speak of?'

'He is the first among us, at sunset we gather and speak to him, join with him, every man and woman across the tribes of the southern desert. He will know our thoughts and wishes, judging with the knowledge of our hearts.' Fassin paused, 'He is also your Northern king.'

Kel's heart did a back flip; she certainly didn't want King Jonathan inside her head, knowing her every thought and memory.

'And do all tribe members speak to this Voice?'

Fassin inspected Kel's impassive face, 'It is a union that must be undertaken freely. It would be your choice.'

Kel relaxed slightly, 'How do I become a warrior of the Bloody Hawk tribe?'

* * *

The ceremony as it turned out was very simple, the headman asked for any objections to 'Elinah' joining the tribe and when none were given he ran a knife down Kel's forearm, leaving a bright trail behind it. Kel barely even flinched and stood steady as the headman did the same to his own arm. They pressed their wounds together.

'Become one with the tribe, and one with our people,' he instructed, his voice deep and resonating. Kel couldn't resist a shudder as a power so raw, so overwhelming flooded her. Despite being ungifted Kel knew that she was being filled with a magic as old as the Bazhir themselves.

Blood ran down their combined arms and peppered the sand below. When they broke apart, every single member of the Bloody hawk tribe cheered in celebration of a new warrior.

Slightly dazed from the Bazhir sorcery, Kel accepted a length of cloth and bandaged the cut tightly, pulling her sleeve down to hide her wound. She allowed herself to be ushered towards a place at the fire alongside the headman and his wife. Halef Seif was an old man now, grey hair nearly outcompeting the black, but his eyes twinkled with amusement and his manner was a calm authoritative one.

On this night of celebration the women of the tribe had outdone themselves, serving food on giant platters. Balls of spiced meat, flattened bread, dates and other sweets all were passed around and Kel, like everyone else, ate her fill.

Reclining backwards, only half listening to the stories and legends, Kel gazed up at the gleaming heavens and accepted the accompanying feeling of insignificancy. She sighed to herself, wondering as always about the difficulty of the task ahead of her.

'You know you are not this tribe's first northern warrior,' Halef Seif spoke quietly but Kel could hear every word. Shortly before King Jonathan took the throne, the Woman Who Rides like a Man, visited us. You are very different in your approach to life, yet there is something similar I think about the reasons you both came to this desert. She too was poised at the edge of an unknown path.'

Halef's comment incited a stab of longing in Kel; the wish to be able to discuss her future with Alex was so strong that it hurt. She opened her mouth to speak to the headman, but no words came out and she shut it again, feeling suddenly quite alone.

'Trust yourself,' the headman said, placing a gnarled hand on Kel's shoulder. 'I sense that you have already come a long way and you haven't fallen yet.'

_Oh if only you knew, _thought Kel tiredly, _if only you knew._

* * *

**(-a/n- **Please, please leave a review! Not only do I love hearing your thoughts, but they provide much needed pokes whenever I'm feeling too lazy to write!)

**Confusedknight xxx**


	49. Corus

**-a/n-**I'm going to start this chapter as I do nearly every other one –with a massive apology! Hockey, A levels and uni applications have taken over my life, so much so that it's difficult setting aside hours for sleep let alone writing! Anyway I've taken advantage of an unusually quiet weekend to bring another chapter to you all!

Thanks so much to every single person that's leave a review or messaged me bugging me to update, as always this chapter's for you!

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

The desert was pleasantly warm, the sun hanging weak in the cerulean sky. A lone figure was silhouetted against the sunrise, a sword whipping around in motions only a warrior could understand. Garbed in a sleeveless shirt and cut-off breeches, her feet snug in worn comfy shoes, Kel exercised relentlessly, her hardened muscles barely noticing the exertion.

For Kel swordplay had become an obsession, one that consumed her with a voracious appetite. The King's tournament was a goal that blazed in her mind's eye; it was the only possible way Kel could see of revealing herself and gaining any recognition for her cause. It was, as it always was, her single-minded determination that saw her through the long, relentless days of training.

There was not a man or woman in the Bloody Hawk Tribe, nor any of the visiting warriors that could best Kel in swordplay. She trained so long and so hard that at the end of the day all she could do was collapse in her tent and sleep off her aches and pains in preparation for another day of exercise.

Bringing the drill to a halt will a final sweep of her dusty blade, Kel squinted at the sky, wondering how long she'd been practising for. She had agreed to join the tribesmen in their quest for desert antelope, and hoped that they hadn't left without her.

She jogged the short distance back to the Bazhir camp, loving the feeling of her muscles contracting, the steady thud of her heart, and the ease at which she could move. Kel had never felt in such good condition before.

The men were still milling around the campsite and Saleem, a fresh-faced boy whom Kel had been helping with his staff work had readied Prince so that when Kel appeared she simply had to accept a recurve bow and mount up.

Hunting for the tribe had done Kel's archery a world of good, and while no advanced bowman, she could at least hit a target with some semblance of accuracy. This skill would be necessary when hunting antelope; fast, flighty creatures who would have to be hit with the first arrow or not at all.

As they moved out into the barren desert the hooves of fourteen horses kicked up sand in great clouds. Guiding their horses with their legs, the men tied scarves around their faces. Sighing Kel followed suit, deciding that breathing through the cloying material was better than inhaling hot grit.

Living in the desert seemed to condemn you to spend your days perpetually dust stained and sweaty, and although the heat had not yet reached the level that she'd endured on the plantation, as summer drew ever nearer the temperatures soared. Fortunately, her skin, so tanned and weathered from Scanra was no longer burning and instead freckles bloomed daily, multiplying at an alarming rate.

Noticing that she was dropping behind, Kel wiped sweat from her brow and squeezed at the worn saddle beneath her thighs, urging Prince onwards. She rode easily, naturally, rising and falling in time to the large horse's gait.

There were regular challenges to race and at these times the fourteen horses would thunder forward, Kel in their midst. There was so much dust that Kel could barely see where she was going, and rode blind, adrenalin surging through her body. Prince, despite his bulk could not best the light-boned mares of the Bazhir, but Kel felt privately that when it came to battle she would prefer the comfort of all of Prince's seventeen hands and muscle.

As Kel rode her thoughts inevitably wandered back to the city with the gleaming castle, and all the possibilities that it encompassed. It was only when the hunters reached the oasis, over and hour later that Kel sat up in her saddle and concentrated upon the hunt.

Following the noiseless hand signals of the group's leader Kel moved seamlessly into place and slotted an arrow to her bowstring. Hers would be the shot to startle the antelope out of the leafy undergrowth. She drew back, the wood of the bow curving easily under the tension and released the arrow with a soft twang.

It all happened so fast that Kel was glad she was not one of the hunters aiming for a target. The deer practically flew from the undergrowth in panic. Thirteen arrows flew in synchrony. Six decent sized antelope dropped. The sheer speed of the animals meant that it was testimony to the hunter's skills that any had been shot at all.

Collecting their prizes and tying them firmly to their horses, the men left in high spirits; the tribe would eat well tonight. As they cantered back across the ever-shifting sands the leader called out victorious cries which were echoed by the others. Kel supposed it was the equivalent of scanran singing; sharing emotions to unify a group of people.

That night under a dark canvas punctuated only by the pin-pricks of stars and the luminescent moon the Bloody Hawk feasted. Wrapped in her cloak to ward off the night's chill, Kel leaned back, feeling the sand support her and peered up at the heavens, trying to decipher constellations.

The cat perched mischievous next to the Goddess which stretched for eons across the sky. It was something visual that connected Kel's many, bizarre lives and identities. If Alex looked up at the sky right now he would see the nearly same as Kel. If only Kel could see him instead of a collection of stars…

'Oooh' exclaimed Laila. Her initial shout was matched by others as stars whipped across the heavens in a radiant shower.

'The God's are blessing us tonight,' exclaimed Hakim, 'This is good luck indeed.'

_Good luck, _mused Kel. _Was it a sign? _She didn't think so; more a freak event, but all the same, Kel decided that she'd spent too long in one place. Tomorrow she'd return, at last to Corus.

* * *

Woodenly, Kel placed one foot in front of the other, her leather boots making no noise against the grubby sandstone road. Prince walked slowly beside her, his velvety muzzle turned to the wind, inhaling the scents of this new city.

To Kel the road was a familiar one, though never had she taken it at such a slow pace. Trying to distract herself from the looming city wall, she turned her eyes to the verges where beggars littered the grass like discarded objects.

They stepped into the shadow cast by the vast city walls and unable to stop her legs they entered the capital of Tortall. No bells rang out, no one acknowledged her return, but a wave of feelings washed over Kel all the same. She was back. Nearly four years later, after a more incredible journey that she could ever have imagined her legs were carrying her up the main street of Tortall. The very street by which a smaller, more innocent and naïve version of Kel had left in a carriage bound for the convent.

The difference between these "Kels" was so marked that she had difficultly in equating the two, in remembering a time when she was blissfully unaware of the horrors of the world.

Every step seemed to last an eternity, her heart thudding, afraid perhaps that someone she had once known would jump out from one of the shadowy side streets and recognise her. Kel was unsure why this recognition scared her so. Could it be because it meant finally linking the person she was now with 'Keladry of Mindelan', the identity she had travelled so far to leave behind?

As she steadily made her way through Prettybone district a gaggle of children came running past her, laughing and absorbed in a game with rules that only they could understand. It was by no means an easy life living in the poorer districts of Corus but these children were all making their way back from school. They had been given a chance at education, a chance to rise above the slums and ramshackle housing from which they came.

They crossed Kingsbridge, Kel feeling like she was trapped in an absurd dream, transported back in time to the place she'd been before. Barges and ships floated gently down the Olorun, their ruddy-faced sailors waving to the children that picked their way along the muddy banks and flats, searching for anything that the river had left behind.

On the other side of the bridge Kel entered the lower city, home to the worst of the slums, several markets and the court of the Rogue.

'Pretty horsey,' called a voice to Kel's left. Kel started and looked around to see a gap-toothed girl who grinned at her from atop a fence. Kel led Prince to the side of the road, and with an amazed look on her face the girl reached up to pat Prince's face. He snorted gently and the girl let out a happy gurgle.

'I've never gotten to touch a big horsey before,' she informed Kel.

'This is Prince' offered Kel.

'I'm Karlah,' she told the horse, using a grubby fist to wipe her dribbling nose.

'Say Karlah, do you know a place where Prince and I can stay?'

'Me Ma works at the Jugged Hare,' she mumbled, still intent upon feeling everything from Prince's whiskers to his forelock and mane.

Tolerant, the big gentle horse endured the small podgy fingers probing and stroking.

'Where's the Jugged Hare?'

'Jus' up there,' said the girl in a tone of disbelief. 'Where're you from?'

'Far away,' replied Kel, brushing hair from her eyes.

'Have you seen the sea?' asked Karlah. 'Me pa's at sea, Ma says one day I'll getta see the sea.'

'Aren't you lucky then!' said Kel. 'Where exactly is the Jugged Hare?'

'You speak funny,' giggled the girl, 'I'll take ya there.'

Kel followed her small friend as she skipped up the street. Smells of the lower city assaulted Kel in a wave of stale beer, piss and strong spices. Despite the run-down houses and rambling shops that they passed, the Jugged Hare, situated near Kingsbridge, on the corner of Palace way and the sprawling Daymarket, was a respectable looking place. With a cheery wave, Karlah scampered up the road, calling to a gang of filthy children playing with a skipping rope.

The Jugged Hare had a small courtyard tucked behind the Inn and Kel handed Prince over to an hostler, a copper coin flashing once in the sunlight before being snatched away into the youth's grimy hand.

With a creak and a small tinkling of a bell Kel entered the tavern. The room smelt faintly of wood smoke and Kel was relieved to find that the unsavoury smells of the lower city had not permeated the dark, comfy looking room. Tables surrounded by cushioned chairs filled up most of the floor space. The bar was made of a dark, glossy wood, and clean tankards and bottles of alcohol were lined along the back wall. On the other walls old hunting equipment, trophies and paintings were hung at random, covering the plain wooden surfaces.

'Can I help you miss?' asked a portly man, wiping his hands on his apron.

'I'm looking for a room,' said Kel, although she wasn't sure how long it was that she'd be staying; it was still two months until the tournament.

'I think you can end your search righ' here ma'am. We've got a lovely room, jus' five coppers a night.' He beckoned Kel through a small side door into hallway. She followed him up the carpeted stairs to an even smaller door set at the end of the second floor corridor.

A key appeared from beneath the man's apron, presumably from a pocket in his breeches and was stuffed into the lock.

'Mind yer head miss,' he cautioned, as Kel ducked under the wooden frame.

Despite the ridiculous size of the door, the room that lay behind it was big enough for Kel's use and sunlight streamed in through a large rectangular, lead-paned window.

'This should be fine,' murmured Kel, setting her pack down on the bed.

'Jolly good,' he said slightly tiredly. 'You can settle payment later on.' The man bowed, handed her the key and left.

Five coppers a night wasn't a large sum of money, not considering the large stash of gold Alex had bestowed upon her. Sitting down on the bed, Kel flopped backwards, examining the patterns in the wooden ceiling absent-mindedly.

A little while later, freshened up from a hurried sponge bath, and dressed in the most decent shirt and breeches she owned, Kel could be found perched on the window seat, peering down at the street below. She watched the Tortallans go by with mild interest, wondering who they were and where they were going. Were their futures all laid ahead of them she wondered, or was she not the only one who struggled to find her way in this complicated world? She had spent so long fumbling along in the dark, surviving and living day by day and although she had tentatively decided on the way forward, it would by no means be easy, or pleasant.

Sighing, and knowing that she was achieving nothing sitting moping in her room, she stood up and exited the homely inn. Once Kel had checked upon Prince, she decided to take a walk through the streets of the city she had once loved above all others.

Her feet soft on the cobbles, Kel passed unnoticed through her surreal surroundings, treading up Palace Way. This street was smart; a pretty front to please the nobility who never had to venture into the stinking slums that lay at the heart of the lower city. Traders, priests, message runners and soldiers moved around Kel without a second glance. She was nondescript, insignificant to them all. As she walked her mind tried to grasp the concept that nothing about this ancient city had changed.

Walking at such a slow, meandering pace, it took Kel nearly twenty-five minutes to reach the great palace gates. She stopped at the side of the road and stared. The memory that had faded came flooding back and Kel took in every turret, every tower of the palaces impressive architecture.

Mighty flags that furled and unfurled themselves in the snappy breeze announced the presence of both monarchs. Kel's old life, her old friends seemed so tangibly close, that she might reach out and suddenly they'd all be standing there, unchanged.

Two horses came trotting past Kel and she leapt back, disturbed from her reverie. The two men astride the horses were so muscular and full of self-importance, tossing the palace guard a silver noble lazily, that they could only have been knights.

Kel snorted in disgust. What was she doing here? Trying to wish the past away? Hadn't she proved over and over that you didn't have to be a knight to help people? Shaking her head at her own folly and at the waste of valuable training time, Kel strode more purposefully back to the main districts of the city.

* * *

It did not take long for Kel to seek out a practise court where she could train in peace, unobserved. The dilapidated training space and archery range was located on the border of Flash and Unicorn districts. It was mainly used by poor soldiers who aspired to become guards or retired soldiers looking to remain fit once their service days were over.

Renting a recurve bow, Kel was also able to practise her archery at times when the practise courts were too crowded. She occasionally duelled against other people, but more often that not she spent hours in front of a mirror working on her technique, speed and agility.

Every afternoon she would take Prince for a ride, quickly leaving behind the city and its confined spaces. They would gallop across the fields that lay to the north of the city and Kel revelled in the freedom that such excursions gave her. The city was suffocating after her time spent with the Bazhir, and although her situation was somewhat better than it had been in Scanra, everywhere she turned things reminded her of memories, painful memories.

One day she had walked warily down the street on which her parents' house stood. She had loitered in the shadows for nearly thirty minutes, until the front door opened and she fled, not wanting to catch even so much of a glimpse of any member of her family.

In the evenings she ate mainly at the Jugged Hare, quickly learning that the food was tasty and filling. The evening meal also gave her an opportunity to socialise; the many hours spent practising and wandering the city were lonely.

Taking up a comfortable seat with Berne and his wife, who were visiting the city on business matters, Kel enquired after their day. At some point during the conversation, Karlah's mother, a short woman with a mass of curly hair, came over to take their order. Kel chose the steak pie and watched Yvenne return to the kitchen. The Jugged Hare was particularly busy this evening. A group of moderately well dressed men were crowded around a table in one corner. There was also a family dining, some other regulars and several men drinking at the bar.

Kel stretched her legs subtly under the table, settling back in her chair, comfortable and contented to listen to the bantering between Berne and Lorna.

'Where are you from?' asked Lorna, directing their conversation Kel's way.

'Up north,' Kel replied vaguely.

Berne nodded knowledgeably, 'You have a slight accent you know, it's not obvious at first, it's only on certain words.'

'Really?' this was news to Kel, who assumed that her Tortallan was untainted despite the years spent speaking foreign languages. Fortunately three large pies arrived before this topic could continue further and prevented Kel from having to lie about where she came from.

'So do you come to Corus often?' she asked after a few mouthfuls of the excellent dish.

'A couple of times a year, mainly for business, but sometimes to visit Lorna's mother,' replied the man, dabbing the sauce from the corners of his mouth.

Kel nodded and was about to take another bite of her meal, when a loud shout made her pause. Almost as though she could sense something about to happen, Kel laid down her fork with a clatter and twisted in her chair. There seemed to be a disagreement among the large and slightly drunk men at the bar.

'Now if we all jez calm down,' said the barman, trying to alleviate the tension. The men ignored him and one, the largest and Kel presumed the stupidest, leapt at one of the other men. As with all such fights, within seconds punches were flying everywhere, furniture splintering as it crashed to the floor.

The family at the next table looked terrified and Kel stood up, assessing the situation. Bar fights could escalate in minutes and she didn't know how long it would take for the Provost's guard to arrive. Looking at the terrified family in the corner, Kel stood up.

Not wishing to draw her sword; swords were for causing serious injuries, Kel grabbed a broom that rested against a nearby wall and hefted it. Wielding the long wooden pole as she might a glaive, Kel swung it experimentally towards the nearest brawler and rapped him sharply on the head. He plummeted like a brick in water. Pleased at the broom's effectiveness she set about trying to break up the fight.

Kel's concentration was firmly settled on avoiding the wild swings of drunken men, but out of the corner of her eye she was aware of a few other men getting involved, prying makeshift weapons from the fighter's hands and knocking heads together.

It didn't take long for the large and clumsy broom to be wrenched from Kel's hands and after that she had to rely on her fists to incapacitate the shouting thugs.

Eventually the fight thinned and the more sensible men fled, fearing the arrival of the guard. Kel stepped back and flexed her bruised knuckles. Now that the danger to bystanders had passed, she smiled. It had been a good fight on her half and as a result of her strict training regime she was barely out of breath.

'Nice work there,' panted a good-looking man, brushing brown hair from a tanned face.

'Likewise,' said Kel ducking her head an inch and sidling back to her dinner.

A minute later a guard with a rat-like face appeared, his partner trailing behind him.

'Nice of you to turn up,' commented the handsome man's elder companion. 'You missed a tidy fight.'

The guard grunted and set to work hobbling any brawlers who were coming painfully back to consciousness. 'Well it seems you've got everything under control here,' mumbled the second guard, helping his partner to firmly tie the law-breakers hands behind their backs.

Kel ate her steak barely looking up at the guards, keeping her head down. The last thing she would want to do would be to have to stand up in court and testify against the men so that the Jugged Hare could claim compensation for the tables and chairs that had fallen victim to the fight.

Excusing herself as soon as her meal was done, Kel returned to the safety and peace of her room.

* * *

A couple of days later, when the memory of the scuffle in the Inn had all but faded away, the smashed chairs replaced and the crowd of regulars back at the tables, Kel found herself watching several young lads take part in an arm-wrestling competition,

The current champion sat arrogantly at the table, a pile of coins heaped in front of him, calling loudly to the rest of the tavern. She couldn't resist. Kel tossed a copper coin onto the table and sat down opposite the man.

Ignoring the rude remarks and mutterings Kel set her elbow on the table. When the champion hesitated, her eyebrows rose, mocking and challenging. A large, clammy hand enclosed hers and on the count of three they began to wrestle.

Kel gritted her teeth and let the man strain with all his might against her arm. He _was_ strong, but she held on, scrunching up her toes and tensing her leg muscles with the effort. She was waiting, biding her time. A scanran soldier, whose name Kel couldn't remember had taught her the trick of waiting until that brief moment of respite, when the muscle pauses momentarily before exerting another contraction. She felt the slight decrease in pressure and pounced, driving forward until the man had no choice but to let his hand slam into the table.

All rude remarks and jeering stopped, and the pub fell strangely quiet. Satisfied, Kel scraped the pile of coins towards her; she could split the money between the children begging on Mutt Piddle Lane.

'Well this makes a nice change,' remarked a well-spoken voice.

The owner of the voice seated himself in the recently vacated chair opposite Kel. To her surprise it was the attractive man who'd complimented her the other evening after the tavern brawl.

He continued, flashing Kel a dazzling smile, 'It's not often I get an excuse to hold a pretty girl's hand.'

He placed his own coin on the table and their hands entwined. Kel noted that this man's hand was much pleasanter to hold than its clammy predecessor, and a strange tingly sensation entered the pit of her stomach. Kel firmly ignored it.

Kel did not expect to win this fight. A good seven inches taller than she was, this man's forearm was solid and bulky. Even with her trick Kel could not best him and soon it was her hand that smashed into the table. Kel slid her hand from underneath his much bigger one, and ignoring the urge to massage her painful muscles, she pushed the coins his way and stood up.

Sighing and feeling that she'd find somewhere else to eat this evening Kel stepped out into the cool air.

'Hey wait up,' called someone from behind her. She knew it was her victor before she'd even turned around.

'What?' It wasn't a rude reply, more curious.

Kel's last opponent held out a handful of coins to her. 'Here, I owe you.'

Confused she stared back into his blue eyes.

'Someone had to beat that arrogant little swine,' he explained, 'you saved me from having to hold his hand.'

'Keep your money,' said Kel, turning to continue on up the street.

'Well if you won't accept the money then at least let me buy you dinner,' he called, 'I know a lovely place…'

Kel stared at him and he took the opportunity to jog to catch up with her.

'Go on humour me,' he encouraged.

'Where is this place?' asked Kel, both cautious and curious at the same time.

'Not too far.'

As they walked he introduced himself as Domitan of Masbolle. Kel wasn't surprised to have her suspicions confirmed; that he was nobility, but she _was_ shocked at the fact that his family was from the book of Gold; she had expected him to be from a minor fief. In this case she supposed that he must be a younger son, otherwise he'd be a knight.

'And I have the pleasure of accompanying?'

'Lia,' Kel introduced herself.

Dom ambled along beside her and the conversation flowed easily. He seemed easy-going and quick to laugh. As they reached the edge of the lower city, Dom flipped a coin to a young boy dressed in filthy clothing. It was this act of kindness; so many nobles ignored commoners that settled any misgivings she had about going to dine with a noble.

The restaurant was in Patten district and was much smaller that the Jugged Hare. Its owner seemed to know Dom for when they entered, the man called 'A table for two Sergeant?'

Half way through the first course, Kel voiced a question that had been nagging her.

'Why did you invite me here?' she asked directly.

He looked up, blue eyes latching on to her hazel ones.

'Do I need a reason to invite a pretty woman out for dinner?'

'I'm sure there are plenty of pretty women up _there_,' Kel nodded her head in the direction of the Palace.

'Ah, but how many of them can help break up a bar fight?' he asked smiling in his laidback fashion.

'I'm sure plenty of the queen's riders…'Kel started to argue, but Dom overran her.

'Eat up, there's plenty more coming. Stop worrying, I invited you for dinner and some company. I'm not going to seduce you or hold you hostage.'

Kel grinned, at the joke, 'I'd like to see you try.'

'Is that a challenge?' he asked winking.

Kel looked back at her dinner to prevent herself from blushing. She would have to be careful; she found it all too easy to be relaxed in Dom's company, and the man was a terrible flirt. _He's probably got all the ladies falling head over heels in love with him, _she thought. _This stays at friendship and nothing more._

After their meal they sat and chatted for a long time. Kel refused any alcoholic drinks and instead sipped at fruit juice. When they finally left the restaurant, Dom insisted on walking her back to the Jugged Hare.

'What are you doing tomorrow evening?' he asked.

Kel shrugged, failing to stifle a yawn. It had been a long day; she'd been up at sunrise training and it had been a long day.

'I was planning to ask a lady to accompany me to dinner,' he announced, 'but evidently she finds my company boring.'

'No,' protested Kel, and Dom grinned wickedly. 'I'll pick you up from here around the seventh bell tomorrow.'

And before Kel could protest, he strode off down the street, whistling merrily.

* * *

**(-a/n-** Another chapter done! Finally! And we draw ever nearer to the tournament, which makes me very, very excited :D As always I'll do my best to update whenever I can, keep prodding me though –you have no idea how much your messages encourage me!)

Please leave a review! It's been a while and I'd love to hear from you all,

**Confusedknight xx**


	50. The Lower City

**-a/n- **Howdy! Sorry this is a week (or two) later than I'd planned. -faints- WE'VE REACHED CHAPTER 50!! I hope it's worth it :D

I've got three things I wanted to mention:

Firstly, I'm taking part in NaNoWriMo (with Fallen so hopefully updates will be quicker). For those of you who don't know what this is, its national novel writing month! Check out the website and get scribbling!

Secondly, for the hundreds of you that mentioned your love for Dom, I've been asked to "advertise" a facebook group 'Who wants Edward Cullen when you can have Domitan of Masbolle.' :P

And finally, but most importantly **THANK YOU** to every lovely person who reviewed or PM-ed me. I wouldn't be anywhere without you guys :P

**Confusedknight xxx**

---

Kel was running late, very late. Dom was due here any minute and she still hadn't been down to check on Prince. Kel strapped her sword to her waist without hesitation, cinching the buckle tight. She hurrying across the room Kel stubbed her toe in haste, swore and had to hop the rest of the way to the pile of clothes resting on the window seat. Her watery eyes obscured her vision as she hunted through the garments searching for something clean to wear. Her search was fruitless and she swore again.

Kel reached for the wooden drawer, wrenching it open. She spotted a clean looking shirt and pulled it on over her breastband, hurriedly lacing it to cover her ugly scar. Her still damp hair was a mess of loose, wavy curls and Kel wrapped a band of green material to keep the locks from falling across her face.

Snatching up her key and stuffing her feet into her boots, Kel raced out of her room and hurtled down the small staircase. Practically tripping off of the last step, she took the back door out into the stable yard.

Prince whickered and raised his head in recognition of his small mistress making her way haphazardly towards him. Kel reached up to pat his magnificent head and became acutely aware that the old shirt was far tighter that she would've liked it to be, especially across her chest. Muttering a dozen scanran curses, Kel unlatched Prince's stable door and slipped inside, intent upon checking that he had fresh water and hay for the night.

'Lia?' called a voice that Kel recognised instantly.

'Just coming,' she replied and giving Prince a final affectionate rub on his muzzle, Kel left the stall.

Dom whistled, 'That's some pony you've got.'

Kel smiled, thinking that Dom was probably the first person to describe Prince as a "pony". 'He's gorgeous isn't he,' she said.

'Careful,' warned Dom, his tone easy-going, 'I'll get jealous.'

Kel made a face, still slightly unsure of how to deal with Dom's constant flirting.

'Fair lady may I have the honour of escorting you to our destination?' he asked with a theatrical bow.

'I'm not sure about the fair lady part,' snorted Kel, accepting Dom's arm anyway.

'You are as fine a maiden as any in Corus,' he replied without missing a beat. 'Especially, if I may say so in that rather ravishing shirt.'

Kel blushed and elbowed Dom gently.

She still couldn't put her finger on what it was about Dom that was so familiar. It felt like she'd known him for far longer than a day. He was exactly the sort of friend that she needed right now. With Alex and Tor so far away, and with her old Tortallan friends so inaccessible Kel needed someone who could make her relax, someone who could draw her from her anxious thoughts.

As they walked down the cobbled streets of Corus, the noise of the city a gentle lullaby around them, Dom's hand shifted almost shyly to find Kel's. Kel tensed, unused to such physical contact, but after a moment relaxed, and they carried on their conversation.

It had been almost two years since her relationship with Idan. Mithros, it had been about ten months since she'd last seen Alex. For once Kel pushed her worries to the back of her mind and just enjoyed the pleasure of someone who she seemed to trust innately.

Dom had chosen to take Kel to a medium sized restaurant that served exotic foods from the western isles. It had been a long time since Kel had had the opportunity to eat Yamani food and she did so with gusto, the spicy food warming her mouth nicely.

'So how long have you had the beastie?'

It took Kel a moment to realise that Dom was referring to Prince.

'Only a year or so,' replied Kel. 'We've travelled a long way together.'

'What brings you to Corus?'

'I've been away for a long time,' Kel replied evasively. 'It was time to come back.' Kel changed the subject soon afterwards and if Dom noticed her reluctance to give a straight answer he did not press the issue.

Just like the previous evening Dom was adamant about escorting her back through the darkened streets to the Jugged Hare. Tonight however, they walked with their hands entwined, large and small, holding on to the tentative beginnings of their new relationship.

---

Kel stepped through the doorway and blinked, trying to discern images in the comparative gloom of the tavern.

'There's a message for you,' Yvenne informed Kel, looking up from polishing the bar. 'From that handsome sergeant, says he'll meet you at midday for your ride.'

Thanking Yvenne for passing on the message Kel ran up the stairs two at a time and entered her room, kicking the door shut behind her. Kel threw her parcel onto the bed and sipped at a mug of water from her nightstand.

After completing her customary training session, Kel had strolled down to the Daymarket and had treated herself to two new shirts, one un-dyed and another green.

Kel washed quickly and changed into the new forest-green shirt, discarding the tight, smelling shirt with relief. She checked her reflection once and tucked errant strands of hair back into her horsetail. The woman in the mirror was becoming less of a stranger with every passing day, though in some ways the marked changes in her appearance offered the comfort of anonymity in a city that was so familiar.

Three days had passed since her last meal with Dom and although the sergeant had been busy for the past few nights, he had managed to take an afternoon off. They had agreed to go for a ride, something which Kel had been looking forward to immensely; it would be nice to have some company whilst she rode and exercised Prince.

It was hard to keep track of time in the lower city, but Kel reckoned that she had about thirty minutes before Dom would arrive. Locking the door behind her, Kel sped down to the stable yard, tucking the key into her belt purse as she did so. Prince was eager to get going and moved restlessly on the spot whilst Kel tacked him up. No sooner had she finished when Dom appeared leading a dapple-grey horse into the courtyard.

Unlike their previous meetings, today Dom wore a blue tunic over his white shirt and Kel could make out the blade-and-crown insignia of the King's own. Around his bulging biceps was a crimson band decorated with a dark circle and black dot, the mark of a sergeant.

'Ready to go?' he asked, his face a picture of boyish eagerness.

Kel nodded, but didn't mount up. 'Would you mind if we walked through the city?' she asked.

A puzzled look flitted across his face, but he shook his head all the same.

Kel made a soft "clicking" noise under her tongue and Prince began to slowly follow her out onto Palace Way.

'I don't like riding through the streets if I don't have to,' she explained. 'People assume that you think you're better than they are.'

'There's no argument from me,' said Dom, 'I'm always open to a new perspective, and besides,' he grinned cheekily, 'If we were riding I couldn't do this.'

He reached out for Kel's hand and enclosed it firmly in his own. Trying to ignore her thoughts that holding hands with Dom was quite pleasant, Kel rolled her eyes and feigned exasperation.

As soon as they were clear of the bustling Prettybone district, Kel hopped lightly into her saddle, Dom following suit.

Prince trotted enthusiastically down the road, his hooves clacking an upbeat rhythm against the paving stones. Kel rose and fell instinctively, her quadriceps barely noticing the action that she had performed over and over, for hundreds of miles.

'Do you ride a lot?' asked Dom as approached the city gates.

'I try to take Prince out everyday; he needs exercise to stay in shape.'

Dom waved to one of the watch guards as they left the confines of the city, and the man saluted back.

'That's Gavyn,' he explained, 'he occasionally guards up at the Palace.'

The two horses and riders followed the road that gradually wound its way through ramshackle housing into sparsely populated farmland. After veering off to the right they found themselves on an empty dirt track.

'Let's stretch your legs, eh boy?' Kel asked Prince, leaning forward to pat his neck.

The next moment Prince's gait lengthened into a broad-stepped canter. The wind whistled past, teasing strands of hair from Kel's horsetail and cooling her damp forehead.

Dom urged his mount faster to keep up with the new pace. As he drew level with Kel she turned and offered him a genuine smile, one that was not curbed by shyness or anxiety. It lit up her face from her pretty hazel eyes down to her full lips. Dom did the thing that came naturally to him and grinned back, sharing her pleasure.

It was a good ten minutes or so before their speed slackened off and when it did, he was impressed to notice how little the exercise seemed to have fazed the massive beast on which Kel rode. Sweat had darkened his flanks and there was a little foam at his mouth but he was not out of breath.

It didn't need an expert in horsemanship to see that the pair were well-suited to each other. Although it could be argued that he was big for a rider of Kel's stature, she seemed to fit him well and they communicated effortlessly, a result of what Dom presumed was a long partnership.

As they dismounted at a dew pond to let the horses drink Dom asked, 'So how long have you had Prince?'

'About a year,' Kel replied, her hands busy re-tying her horsetail.

This surprised Dom but he didn't say anything. 'How'd you come by him?'

Dom noticed a slight droop in Kel's smile before she replied, 'He was a gift from a very good friend. Well, not so much a gift. I'm merely looking after him for a while.'

'A very good friend,' said Dom, estimating Prince's value to be in the region of fifty gold nobles.

'A very generous friend,' Kel agreed. 'He bought me my sword too.'

'Can I see?'

Kel slid the blade easily from the scabbard and Dom's mouth fell open. The battered and worn leather covering was in stark contrast to the mastery within. The hilt was plain and sturdy but the blade was constructed from blue tempered metal, smooth and shiny. When Dom hefted it the balance was extraordinary. Something was inscribed near the hilt in a foreign language that _looked _like Scanran, but Dom wasn't sure.

Handing it back to Kel, he whistled. 'You're full of surprises.'

Kel smoothly sheathed the sword and smiled. 'It's the only precious thing I own.'

'How long have you been able to fight?'

Kel shrugged, not entirely comfortable with the conversation. 'I've been fighting for a long time, but with a sword, maybe four or five years.'

'Do you want a friendly duel?' he asked.

Part of Kel wanted to accept and impress Dom with her swordplay but she held back, declining the offer with a shake of her head. Her relationship with Alex, Fassin and Tor had been built on, or at least started out around swordplay. They were all training partners, competing and improving each other's technique. Although she was unsure why not, Kel wanted her connection with Dom to be different. Even with Idan, they had drawn together to survive the plantation, helping each other in little ways. Kel wanted hers and Dom's relationship to be comprised of dinners, rides in the sun, things that she could look back on and remember fondly.

Dom didn't seem to mind.

'It's alright,' he said cheerfully, 'I did enough this morning to make my commander happy.'

Gathering up Prince's reigns, Kel hopped back into the saddle.

'So how much time do you spend around Corus? I was under the impression that the King's Own are always off defending the realm.'

'We've come back to recruit,' said Dom, also mounting up. 'But my Lords are also involved with the King's tournament next month so they've sent the first company up north and the second company to man the eastern border. We've been very busy the last sixth months, mainly dealing with attacks from the Immortals.'

Kel suppressed a shudder. Fortunately, Scanra didn't have a problem with Immortals; they had all seemed to have spread south of the city of the Gods and not north of it. Kel could remember her last encounter with an Immortal all too vividly...

Rounding a bend in the twisty path, their gazes fell onto a magnificent sight. Corus in all it's glory, seeming to bask in the midday sun.

'You know I never get tired of this,' said Dom, an expression of mild rapture written across his handsome face. 'No matter where we go, this view always takes my breath away.'

'You call Corus home?' Kel wondered aloud.

'Yes,' said Dom. 'Five years ago I came here, finally free of my older brother's shadows. Masbolle will never belong to me, so why not make my own home somewhere else? I made it with the King's Own and I've never regretted it.'

'You never wanted to be a knight?' Kel asked innocently.

Dom shook his head, 'I have a cousin training to be a knight and they're mad, the whole lot of them. Well,' his voice took on a more serious tone than it usually did, 'Knights like my lord are great men. It's a serious job and a lot of is it about status. People respect knights.' He shrugged again. 'My older brothers are knights. I joined the King's Own to serve the crown in a different way. Besides, you wouldn't get me in that chamber if you paid me a hundred nobles.'

Riding on in a companionable silence the city loomed high in front of them; it's walls casting lengthening shadows on the dirty ground. Entering back through the gate Kel shifted in her saddle, feeling a small weight begin to press down on her. The city made her edgy.

The streets were quieter now then they had been and Kel had no qualms about riding instead of walking the distance to Kingsbridge. Dismounting, they walked the last few metres to the Jugged Hare.

Just about to say their goodbyes, Yvenne hurried out from inside the Inn.

'Sergeant there's been a message from the Palace. The third company are riding out at sunset. Sommat to do with a spidren attack near Whitehorn.'

Kel observed that something about Dom's demeanour changed. Though not tense or indeed outwardly anxious, he became more businesslike, asking details of when the message was left and by whom.

'Just my luck,' he grinned at Kel. 'Back barely three weeks and we get called out. Still, my Lord'll be happy. Nothing like a spidren hunt to beat paper shuffling and social occasions.'

Kel smiled, 'When will you be back?' she asked, knowing as she did so that it would be an unanswerable question.

'It depends,' said Dom, mounting his gelding.

'Come and find me when you return,' said Kel shyly.

'That's a promise,' he replied with a cheeky smile. 'Until then my lady,' and, bowing from his saddle, Dom kicked his horse into a canter. Kel watched horse and rider until they were out of sight.

'Be careful,' she whispered.

'He's one for keeps,' said Yvenne, reappearing at Kel's elbows. 'He's got looks, manners _and_ money.'

Smiling Kel shook her head, trying to convince herself that her relationship with Dom would never get that serious.

---

Something spattered the Kel's boots and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. The drunkard, still retching, staggered sideways into a wall and dropped to the ground, moaning and mumbling to himself.

The city streets were dim, the world poised on the fine precipice between light and darkness. Kel hadn't meant to stay at the courts for so long, but without the possibility of meeting up with Dom she hadn't anything better to do anyway.

She had spent the afternoon lifting weights, performing every agility and flexibility stretch that she knew. Only then did Kel pick up her sword and run through drill after drill. She carried out every pattern slow and then fast, switching her sword regularly between her hands.

Sweat had dripped down her face and soaked her shirt, but still Kel had kept on practising. She had less than four weeks to finish her preparations for the tournament that could change her life. She needed to win, she had to win. Her promise to Alex, Rhonda and the scanran people were resting on it.

Little butterflies had begun to awaken in Kel's stomach at the very thought of the King's Tournament and Kel hurriedly banished all thought of tournaments and her old friends from her mind.

Kel rubbed her aching wrist as she walked. Although the injury was almost a year old and fully healed, it had taken a long time to do so and Kel supposed that it would bother her for a long time yet. She wondered vaguely if it would ache before rain as veteran soldiers claimed their wounds to do…

She padded down the familiar streets, growing ever more invisible in the fading light. Only a few people walked as she did beneath the stars. The majority were hidden away, packed into the taverns from which loud noise and bright light was spilling.

Suddenly, Kel heard a faint cry, barely discernible over the hubbub of music and chatter seeping from the Provost's head pub.

The noise appeared to be coming from one of the streets that branched off from the one which Kel was travelling along. Peering through the darkness Kel could make out dark shapes moving in the alleyway.

Loosening her sword in its scabbard so that it was ready to be drawn at any moment Kel picked her way across rotting vegetables and animal muck.

'Please sir,' begged a hysterical voice, 'leave me be. I beg you leave me be.'

'Be quiet wench,' hissed a bulky man. There was the slap of skin on skin. Kel hurried forward, incensed.

The woman was sobbing pitifully as her arm was twisted behind her back by the stronger man.

'Unhand her,' cried Kel, starting to run. As she neared the pair, the man looked up. Although his face was hidden by shadows, the quality of his clothing and the grandeur of the sword at his waist screamed noble birth.

'Stay out of my business,' he sneered at Kel. 'This piece of filth was asking for it.'

'As I recall,' said Kel calmly, her eyes flashing, 'she was just asking you to leave her alone.'

'It's your word against mine and who will believe a whore from the slums over a noble?' he taunted.

By now the attacker had released the woman and she slumped to the floor, clutching herself and weeping.

Kel took a sideways glance at the terrified lady and acted on an impulse. She slammed a leg into the man's torso, winding him. Wheezing and sucking wildly at the air he staggered backwards into a sliver of light unobstructed by the buildings on either side of them.

Kel had to hold back a gasp as the older but recognisable face of Vinson of Genlith stared back at her, appalled, his mouth wide and eyes bulging.

Something within Kel snapped. This monster had been allowed to train as a page when she had been cast out. What sort of future knight preyed upon vulnerable girls of the lower city? In a rare display of anger, Kel punched Vinson square in the face, feeling the satisfying crunch as his nose broke.

Crying out like a wounded animal he doubled over again, his hands over his face, blood dripping through the cracks between his fingers. Kel punched him a second time, and then a third, hoping that in the morning he'd be sporting a pair of black eyes and a split lip. She landed a few more blows for good measure and finished her attack with a kick to the groin.

Disgusted, she looked down at the man on the floor who was crying like a baby.

'You'll pay for this bitch,' he panted.

'Going to tell everyone that you were beaten by a girl?' Kel taunted, hatred in her voice. 'You deserved this Vinson of Genlith.' The man's eyes widened, shocked that his attacker knew his name. 'If I ever hear of you preying on girls of the lower city again, Mithros help me I _will_ take this to the courts. A truth spell should remove doubts cast on my reputation as a witness.'

Kel gently helped the sobbing lady off of the ground, handing her the bag that had fallen in the dirt. She guided the woman out of the alleyway, not looking back at the man lying in the muck on the floor.

'My name's Lia,' Kel said softly, 'Let's find you a healer.' She regarding the woman's bruised face and wrists with a concerned expression; they looked painful.

'No, I'll be fine,' argued the woman between hiccoughing sobs.

All the same she followed Kel, who wound her way in and out of the dark streets, heading for the temple district. As they entered the wealthier borough Kel observed marked changes. The cobbled streets here were clean and devoid of sewage, rotting food and rats. The walls of the stone buildings were freshly scrubbed and painted, and no tiles were missing from these roofs. The streets were light by the burning oil lamps hung at the entrance to every temple and no lecherous men lurked in the shadows.

It did not take them long to reach the temple of the Great Mother Goddess. Second in size only to the temple of Mithros, it was guarded by steel-shod women holding broad double-headed axes. It was the duty of these women to prevent men from ever stepping on the sacred ground of the temple. Many women could seek refuge in the temple, safe from the abusive hands of their husbands or employers.

'Please miss, I'm okay, really I'm fine,' mumbled the young woman, who now in the temple light didn't look that much older than Kel. She sniffed, and wiped her runny nose with a crumpled handkerchief.

'Look…sorry what's your name?'

'Lalasa,' the girl supplied, now wiping her eyes and attempting to draw herself together.

'Lalasa, you'll feel a lot better tomorrow if we get those bruises seen to,' Kel said, half dragging Lalasa up the steps.

A guard barred their way through the ornate, gilded doors of the temple. 'You may not take your weapons into the temple,' instructed the plain-faced woman, eying Kel's scabbard.

A spike of fear drove through Kel's heart. She was not keen to go anywhere without her sword, least of all the temple of the Great Mother. Gathering herself together mentally, her fingers fumbled with her belt buckle and after a moment she removed the leather strap upon which her sword and dagger hung.

They passed into the temple, Kel trying to derive comfort from the two remaining knives she had concealed beneath her loose shirt. Kel inclined her head towards the statue of the painfully beautiful woman that was carved in marble. Expensive gems the size of small plums were set into the stone and around the statue's great stone head was wreathed a crown of solid gold.

A priestess hurried over to them and exclaimed over the state of Lalasa's face. She bore the shy woman away to the healers and instructed Kel to wait. Kel walked up the great stone hall her hands clenching and unclenching in her pockets. The area around the altar was lit by at least one hundred candles that cast a twinkling glow over their surroundings.

Kel sat down to wait on the very first pew. She knelt forward so that her forearms were resting on her knees and exhaled one long breath. She struggled to release the remains of the anger that had gripped her in the alleyway. She chided herself over her loss of control. She had no doubt that Vinson had deserved the beating that she had given him but Kel was not normally one to let her emotions determine her actions.

She was restless and out of sorts, and had been ever since Dom had left. Living in Corus with only her training to pass the time, Kel was beginning to feel the pressure of the task which she had set herself. That stress combined with the insult that Vinson, a bully and criminal, was considered to make a better knight that she would have done, had led to one of Kel's momentary lapses in control.

Again Kel noted her uncanny ability to find those who needed saving. Kel's feet were too firmly planted on the ground for her to believe that fate had led her to the rescue of Lalasa that evening. Instead the more plausible reason was that crimes and injustices like this happened so frequently that anyone could've wandered into the situation. It was then dependent upon character if they did anything about it, or if they simply turned a blind eye.

Kel's thoughts turned to Ash, the little puppy that she had rescued under similar circumstances in Persepolis. Much to the young dog's displeasure Kel had decided to leave him with the Bloody Hawk tribe. Kel did not know what situations she might encounter in the future and having a dog, an extra mouth to feed and protect, might complicate things immensely.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Kel noted that her knuckles were bruised and sore, reminders of just how hard she had hit Vinson. Sighing, for she had no doubt that even as she sat there Vinson would be being tended to by some of the realm's finest healers, Kel settled back against the hard wooden seat to wait.

Time seemed to drip slowly by, the minutes stretching and distorting until Kel was unsure whether she had been waiting for minutes or hours. Priestesses moved silently in the background, their slipper-clad feet pattering against the flagstones. Some of the candles died, their wicks spent and with every one went a little portion of the light.

Kel stepped up, wincing as her legs protested and crossed the short distance to the sea of candles. Selecting a fresh one from the shelf she dipped its wick into the flame of another and set it down directly in front of the altar. _Great Mother,_ she prayed, _please keep Alex safe from harm and help him as he strives to create a better Scanra. _She clasped her fist to her heart and then her head, saluting the mural of the Goddess above the altar with the sign of Alex's campaign.

She then turned around and wandered down through the gap in the pews to the back of the temple, just in time to see a cleaned-up Lalasa step through an ornately carved archway, still clutching her leather bag.

Lalasa fell into step beside Kel and together they left the temple, Kel collecting Courage on the way out. They climbed down the many broad steps to the street below. Kel sat on the bottom step and invited Lalasa to join her.

Kel toyed absent-mindedly with a small pebble next to her fingers. 'Do you want me to report him?' she asked quietly.

'No miss, no please don't. He already got me kicked out of the palace miss. I'm barely making enough with the job I have, and if I loose this one too…' the woman's face crumpled.

'What is it you do?' asked Kel interestedly.

'I like to sew,' said Lalasa, staring at Kel with big eyes. 'It's simple see.' She opened the leather bag and drew out a crumbled cloth. Wordlessly Kel accepted it and examined the cloth, running her fingers almost reverently over the tiny stitches and designs.

'This is incredible,' she breathed.

'Thank you,' smiled Lalasa, 'I'm working for a shop down in Patten district, just doing small things mind. One day I hope to have my own shop. Then I could sew what I want.'

'You could make a fortune,' breathed Kel.

'Oh no miss,' said Lalasa, tenderly folding her work back into its protective bag.

'No, seriously,' argued Kel. Having spent her formative years around noble women, Kel could appreciate the value of such intricate needlework.

The sensible looking girl stood up, placing the bag strap over her shoulder. 'I should be getting back.'

'Of course,' said Kel, wondering what time it was, her brain vaguely registering that she was hungry, having not eaten for many hours.

'I live with the other girls over the shop,' Lalasa explained as they stood up and began to return the way they had come, leaving the gleaming district of the temples into the more unsavoury districts of the common people. 'I used to live at the palace but…'

'But what?'

'I was thrown out,' said Lalasa, an edge of shame creeping into her voice. 'That man, Vinson of Genlith, he hurt me before. A page rescued me…but Genlith got me thrown out all the same.'

'We should report this,' Kel said worriedly. 'He's attacked you twice.'

'It was my fault,' protested Lalasa. 'It was stupid to be wandering the streets at this hour, but I hadn't noticed the time.'

'It's _not_ your fault,' replied Kel vehemently. 'You should have the right to walk through the city whenever, without being preyed upon by some bastard of a noble man.'

Kel fought to quash the anger that sparked inside of her. She hated the treatment of women from lower classes, what gave Vinson the right to scare this gentle woman so? He had got Lalasa kicked out of the Palace, just like Kel had been. Having spent so long campaigning against Maggur and all of Scanra's wrongs, it riled Kel that she returned to Corus only to be faced with familiar incidents of injustice.

She bid Lalasa good night and waited until the woman was safely inside before striding away, trying to let the cool air sooth her thoughts and emotions. She couldn't afford to lose control or do something stupid, not when she was this close to the tournament.

----

Her teeth crunched down into the apple's flesh and sweet juices filled Kel's mouth. Next to her Prince chewed noisily on his own apple. Together they meandered up Palace Way, for once not hurrying anywhere. Kel had already completed hours of training but with few people to fight against Kel was running out of drills to practise.

A group of children ran up the street chattering loudly, excitedly, calling out to shopkeepers or traders that had set up stalls for their wares. Kel paid them little attention, daydreaming of places far away.

A horn blast disturbed her imaginings and Kel looked behind her to where people were being shuffled and herded to the side of the street. Squads of men, resplendent in polished mail and blue tunics, trotted forward, clearing the way for the carriages that followed.

Kel tried to spot Dom amongst the men of the King's Own. She could see the ruddy-faced, curly-haired commander chatting to his second in command, but there were too many men to be able to see Dom.

The envoy that the Own were accompanying seemed to be of great importance. There were soldiers and knights everywhere. As the first carriage passed, Kel caught a glimpse of an impassive face peering out from behind the delicate curtains. Dark slanting eyes set in a pale, emotionless face. The woman was evidently Yamani which suggested that the King's visitors were from the Isles.

Kel suspected that her parents would be riding in one of the many carriages that rattled up the cobbled streets.

She seemed so distanced from the entire spectacle, bunched in the crowd with barely space to move her arms. The people all around her had come to gain a rare glimpse of the foreigners and to watch the impressive scene of their majesties' many soldiers and guards. Kel, by birth could be riding with the Yamani nobles, conversing in their tongue, every inch an ambassador's daughter. She had wanted to be one of the knights in clinking armour, bearing her own shield. And now, now she was invisible, hidden in the crowd. How could she ever change anything observing from afar?

Kel couldn't have escaped the hordes of people with Prince even if she'd wanted to and had to stay until the entire parade had moved on up the road. Towards the back of the procession Kel had thought she'd seen a short lady with a shock of red of red hair riding in amongst the knights but it was only a glimpse and afterwards she wasn't sure if she'd imagined the whole thing.

Eventually Kel was able to back into an alleyway and wove her way back to the Jugged Hare following a quieter path.

'Quiet a commotion out there,' she remarked to Yvenne, as she entered.

'Lia!' called a young voice.

Kel looked about to see Yvenne's youngest daughter perched on one of the Inn's tables, swinging her legs happily.

'Did you see the carriages?' Kel asked.

'Yup,' Karlah confirmed, 'I was wonderin' who's in them. Must'a been someone special for tha' many soldiers.'

'Karlah try to speak properly,' sighed Yvenne not bothering to look up from her sweeping.

'Sorry ma,' replied the young girl, trying to look contrite.

'No one will want to employ someone who speaks like a cesspool rat. You've got a chance to change your life Karlah,' Yvenne sighed. 'Get a nice job as a lady's maid and get out of the lower city.'

'I don't wanna be some slave te some ducknob cuddy from th'upper class,' protested the young girl. 'I wanna help people from the lower city, no' leave it to rot like every other scut tha' leaves and don't come back.'

'Karlah!' exclaimed Yvenne, outraged at her offspring's grasp of Common.

Kel left Yvenne to argue some manners into her daughter and scuttled upstairs for a wash and a change of clothes.

Kel was sipping spiced fruit juice at the bar when the door to the tavern opened and in walked a group of muscular men, the warm summer's breeze swirling around them. The third man in the group cast his gaze about the occupants of the Jugged Hare. His sparkling blue eyes lit up when they landed on Kel.

She stood up and went to meet him. They stood awkwardly in the middle of the floor for a moment before both speaking at the same time. Dom quickly closed his mouth and gestured for Kel to continue.

'I see you came back in one piece,' she smiled.

'I do try,' admitted Dom. 'My mother would have serious words with me if I came back missing limbs.'

Kel gave him a gentle shove, aware of the questioning eyes of Dom's friends. 'Scared of your mother Masbolle?' she asked, her eyes twinkling.

'Oh you would be scared too if you ever had the misfortune to end up on her bad side,' Dom assured Kel in mock fright.

'I'll bear that in mind,' sniggered Kel, looking over Dom's shoulder pointedly.

'Let me introduce you,' said Dom, finally tearing his eyes from Kel's face.

'Lofren, Seth, Wolset and Lerant,' Dom pointed each one out in turn. 'This is Lia.'

Ignoring the amused looks of his fellow soldiers he drew up a chair for Kel and sat down in the adjacent seat.

Kel studied the men from under her long eyelashes. The youngest seemed to be Lerant, who had tidily cropped brown hair with eyes to match and a firm chin. He looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, whereas the oldest, Wolset was in his late thirties. It was impossible to tell if they were nobles or not just by looking at them; their weapons and boots had all seen hard work, yet their clothes were of good quality. However when they spoke Lofren and Wolset did so with a common accent. Lerant was definitely of noble birth and Seth, quiet and brooding remained a mystery to Kel.

'So did you have fun chasing spidrens?' asked Kel, trying to ignore Dom's hand that had just taken hold of hers.

'You can't imagine,' drawled Dom in such a Neal-like fashion that Kel blinked.

'At least there was no mud,' pointed out Lofren. 'The last hunt we went on was up near Carmine's Tower and the ground was horrendous.'

'True,' replied Dom, picking up a tankard of beer with his free hand.

Dom's comrades seemed likeable enough and didn't seem to mind Kel joining in their dinner. She even drank some wine and felt herself relax into her chair, just happy holding Dom's hand.

Wolset was just in the middle of recounting the tale of a giantess who had fallen in love with Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, when a youth came in through the door to the tavern. He promptly tripped over a table and nearly went crashing to the floor. He managed to retain his balance and hurried on, stopping in front of their table.

Now that he was closer, Kel could see that he looked to be about fourteen. He had unruly hair and a sweet, jovial face that shone with excitement.

'Sergeant, my Lord of Goldenlake sent me. He said there's been a bandit attack.'

Without hesitation all five men rose to their feet, Dom still holding Kel's hand.

'He said that the company will be departing as soon as possible, supplies will follow. He also said,' at this the squire glanced sideways at Kel, 'that he's sorry for interrupting your evening.'

'Thank you squire,' said Dom.

He then turned to Kel who stood up, 'I'm sorry that I've been called away so soon.'

Kel shrugged, 'It's your duty, it can't be helped.'

Dom bent down and to Kel's surprise pressed his lips to hers in one sweet movement. A second later they parted and Dom left the tavern, glancing back and sending a smile her way.

Kel sat down, her legs feeling oddly shaky.

'He'll be fine,' the squire consoled Kel. 'It'll be a jolly hunt. The King's Own are the best.'

'I know,' sighed Kel. After a moment she asked, 'So whose squire are you?' She wondered why he wore the palace insignia.

The boy's face fell slightly.

'No one's as yet,' he said mournfully. 'But I'm told that when the knights arrive for the tournament I might get chosen. I'd know idea that most knights think that having a squire is a burden…'

'I'd have thought that it would be a help,' said Kel, thinking of the squire's that she had seen with her brothers over the years.

'I'm Owen of Jesslaw,' the boy said, sticking out his hand.

Kel shook it, 'Lia.'

'So do you live here?' asked Owen.

Kel shook her head, 'I'm here for the tournament.'

Owen's eyes dropped to Kel's waist where Courage hung as always in its plain leather scabbard.

'Oh,' he said. 'Well I wish you good luck. I've already entered, not that a first year squire would have any chance of beating a knight.'

'Where do you enter?' asked Kel, her interest piqued.

'I think that there's an office in the palace district,' he replied.

'Do you know which street it's on?' asked Kel.

The boy screwed up his chubby face in concentration. 'I can't remember the name…I can show you now if you want? It's on my way back.'

'Thanks,' said Kel, getting up.

Outside in the cool night, the wind played with Kel's hair, tickling her neck. She tied it back with a leather band and continued to follow the squire who chattered jovially.

Bidding her goodnight, Owen left Kel at the office. Fortunately a light was still burning in the window so Kel knocked on the door and entered.

'Where I can I sign up for the King's tournament?' she asked a clerk whose face was pale from spending too much time indoors.

'Over there, over there,' he replied in a tone that suggested he'd been asked the same question many times.

Kel picked up the stylus and on the paper labelled 'Swordplay' she wrote in her small, delicate script _Lia Walker._ She wasn't sure where the idea for her last name had come from but she felt it was fitting; she had travelled a long way to be here, further than she would ever have thought possible.

Tingling with excitement Kel left the office and disappeared into the shadows of the Tortallan city. _Soon,_ she thought, _soon it will be time to show them all._

_--_

-a/n- Wow that was a long 'un!! Please review as always; your comments are loved, appreciated and help to encourage me to continue this mammoth project in whatever time I have spare.

Happy Bonfire night (for Wednesday)!!!

**Confusedknight xxx**

**_The page breaks don't seem to be working...I'll have to put them in later x_  
**


	51. The King's Tournament

**-a/n-** Nanowrimo is relentless! I'm about 4000 words behind :S But at least there is another chapter for you :D (And much sooner than usual!) I've started the next, very exciting chapter so that I don't fall even further behind, but it'll be a few days before I finish, spell-check and tweak to my satisfaction...

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time; I'll try to answer your questions when I find the time…

I hope you enjoy this chapter (it took me HOURS to write!!)

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

Kel thanked Lalasa for the tea and stood up, ready to leave. She had been passing through Patten district and had popped into the dress shop to enquire after Lalasa. She had only meant to drop in but ended up sharing pasties and tea with Lalasa and her friend Tian on the threadbare rug of their tiny room.

'Are you sure that you wouldn't like anything else?' asked Lalasa earnestly. 'I'm sure we have some spiced apple juice in the cupboard.'

'I don't think that I have room for anything else,' Kel admitted, patting her full stomach.

'You're welcome to stop by anytime,' said Tian shyly, and Lalasa nodded fervently, unable to do enough in her eyes to repay Kel's kindness.

'That would be nice,' Kel replied. 'And if you ever need me, leave a message at the Jugged Hare Inn on Palace way.'

They said goodbye and parted, Kel stepping out into the late afternoon sun's balmy rays. Warily keeping a hand on the purse at her belt, Kel slipped through the crowds of bartering shoppers and friends exchanging news.

Kel had decided that, at least for the duration of the tournament, she would stay in a tent in the palace grounds along with all the other visiting competitors. It would mean that she would be nearer to the courts and would allow the Jugged Hare to let out her room to wealthier customers who had come to watch the tournament. She'd already spent several months in the Inn, celebrating her fifteenth birthday only last week, and now Kel felt like she'd stayed there for long enough.

The tent-maker's stall was situated in a shady corner of the marketplace, displaying tents that ranged from basic shelters to those with five separate rooms. Feeling that five rooms would be a little extravagant, Kel settled for a medium-sized tent with a removable partition that could split the tent into a tiny bedroom and living area.

She bargained fiercely with the Tyran assistant who was trying to sell her the tent at an extortionate price. Eventually she settled for a cost of five silver pieces and walked away with a heavy bag slung over her shoulder.

Perusing the stalls purposefully Kel also bought some new thongs of leather for her hair and a bedroll that she could lay on the floor of her tent.

Laden with more possessions that she'd had for a long time, Kel returned the short distance to the Jugged Hare and found Karlah sitting on the empty bar, swinging her short legs happily.

'Hey Lia,' she called. 'Ma says you's gonna be in the big competition with the soldiers.'

Kel nodded, shutting the door behind her.

'Can I come watch?' Karlah asked. 'I ain' been inta th'Palace before.'

'I'll talk with your ma,' smiled Kel, ignoring the slightly sick feeling that filled her stomach with ever mention of the King's tournament.

'Talk with me about what?' asked Yvenne as she bustled in through the door, carrying a tray of clean tankards.

'Can I watch Lia in th' tournament?' asked the young girl, careful to watch her language around her mother.

'Only if it's after school,' agreed Yvenne, now hanging the steel tankards on hooks above the bar. 'It's very important that you don't miss any school.'

Karlah pulled a face, but her eyes shone excitedly nevertheless. 'When you get an afternoon match can you come and get me?' she asked Kel.

After agreeing to this, Kel made her way upstairs, leaving the girl's excited chatter behind her. She dumped her purchases in the cool, shady room and stripped off her sweaty shirt. Kel sponged herself hurriedly in an attempt to feel a little cleaner, and pulled on an old, much looser shirt. Her fingers still fumbling at the shirt lacings, she left the room.

By the time Kel crossed the lounge once more her shirt was fully tied and loosely tucked into her breeches. She left the pub breaking into a dogged run, treading the familiar route to the practice court.

The centre was quiet when Kel arrived and she opted for an indoor court. Able to shut the door behind her, Kel was able to practise shielded from curious eyes.

After a thorough warm-up she launched into the drills and patterns that her body knew better than her mind. Kel didn't have to think about what she was doing but let her arms lead the beautiful blade in its deadly dance.

Even after an hour, despite the sweat that beaded her forehead and dampened the back of her neck, Kel was not breathing heavily. The moves that she was performing were faultless. She was ready, for the tournament and all that it could throw at her.

* * *

The smooth fields that lined the palace grounds were near unrecognisable. For several weeks labourers had toiled to construct ten courts on the main field for matches, not to mention numerous practice and warm-up courts.

There were also six brand new jousting lanes and several archery ranges, built for use in the less popular competitions.

Although jousting was usually the main competitive sport enjoyed at such events, the King's tournament was wholly about swordplay. You didn't have to be a noble or even a soldier to enter. Roughly hewn iron swords would be provided for those without their own weapons and each year hundreds of the city lads entered, trying to impress their sweethearts or peers.

Due to this large entry, running the tournament was a logistical nightmare, one that had tumbled into the reluctant laps of Raoul of Goldenlake and Wyldon of Cavall. Unfortunately for Lord Wyldon, who had just retired from the King's Own after almost four years of service, his fellow organiser had managed to escape from the Palace to aid a village attacked by bandits.

Scowling at the older man's luck, Lord Wyldon rubbed one callused hand over his ravaged forehead. _If only it wasn't so damned hot! _Wyldon blamed the weather for his heads current fuzzy feeling.

'My lord, we've just had a further twenty-seven late entries,' chirped a clerk, dumping a sheaf of paper onto his already over-flowing desk.

'How many more hours have we got until registration closes?' Wyldon asked tiredly, his severe face not showing any signs of stress.

'Four, my Lord,' replied the zealous clerk, 'and if things continue the way that they have been, I would estimate another forty entries at least.'

'Thank you,' Wyldon dismissed the clerk and sank into his chair, only to stand up again and remove a pile of paper that had somehow made it's way onto the seat.

_Why couldn't the King have agreed to let the entries close at least two days before the tournament started? _Wyldon thought grumpily. _How on earth am I meant to construct draws until all the entries are in? _

Unfortunately the King had insisted on running the tournament in a traditional fashion; one that involved the competitors being able to enter right up until the eve of the tournament. He couldn't even organise the jousting lists or archery matches yet because they, being smaller contests would only start in the second week. This meant that, in accordance to tradition there was still over a week left in which entrants could register to compete.

Exasperated, Wyldon set about shifting mounds of paper, shuffling them into more tidy piles.

_When this is all over, _he decided, _I'm going to return to Cavall for a well-earned break._

With thoughts of his wife and daughters clear in his mind, Wyldon set about sorting out yet another preliminary draw.

* * *

Kel surveyed her newly erected home with satisfaction. It was humble enough, blending in nicely with the other three-hundred or so tents that carpeted the field in ordered lines.

Because she was a competitor it had only cost her a silver noble to pitch the tent for the duration of the tournament. She had been given a wooden tag carved with the royal crest on one side and the number two-hundred-and-forty-three on the other. She would have to show the token at every match to prove her identity.

As yet Kel wasn't sure when her first match would be, but she hoped it would be soon. All this waiting was making her restless and she wanted to _do_ something, to start proving herself as a fighter.

The opponents that she came up against would be decided by the fate of the draw. She could meet a kitchen boy who didn't know one end of a sword from another in her first match, or she could be up against a fully-trained knight. No matter who she would face Kel knew that she had to win, for a loss constituted immediate removal from the competition.

Anxiety rested in the pit of her stomach like a vile parasite, eating away at Kel from the inside. She desperately wanted to do something to distract herself from all the 'what-ifs' that rampaged through her mind.

She wished yet again for Dom to return. Before she'd left the Jugged Hare, she'd left a message with Yvenne, so that if Dom came searching for her then he would learn that she was camped up at the Palace.

Kel had left Prince in the stables of the Jugged Hare, even though she'd moved out. She was paying the stable boy a few coppers a day to make sure that Prince always had enough hay and water.

Thinking of Prince, Kel decided to take him out for a vigorous ride. There was nothing else to do and some wild galloping might help to ease her nerves.

* * *

The Banquet hall at the Palace was stuffed fit to burst with visitors and guests. Not only had the Yamani delegation attracted many nobles who had come to view their future queen, but the sudden influx of knights who had returned from far away places to enter the tournament, meant that every table was full, and that the palace staff were desperately trying to cook and serve enough food for everyone.

Ilane of Mindelan, seated next to her husband was immersed in conversation with Lady Haname noh Ajikuro. They were discussing the differences between Yamani and Tortallan social occasions, Lady Haname keen to know if they were all such large and rowdy gatherings. Mid-sentence Ilane looked up and caught the eye of one of her favourite sons. Inness, who had grown to be a giant of a man, was sitting with his squire soon-to-be-knight. The Kennan boy had seemed nice enough when Ilane had met him at Mindelan earlier that year, and according to Inness he had been friends with Kel.

Ilane felt a tiny wash of sadness pass over her at the thought of her youngest, lost daughter. Of all her children who had moved on, some to families and others to the university or the warrior arts, Ilane missed Kel the most. Perhaps because she knew that it was very unlikely that she would ever see her daughter again.

_Please Great Goddess bring my daughter home to me,' _she prayed silently, feeling slightly guilty that she had not thought of her missing child recently.

'Ilane dear,' called Piers of Mindelan, 'Hastefa was just asking your opinion of the comparison of Tortallan and Yamani cultures. Which would you say allows it's history a larger role in the current society?'

Drawn into polite conversation with one of the University professors, any lingering thought of Kel slipped from Ilane's mind.

Kel looked down through the darkness to the city of Corus, whose many lamps and windows glowed orange, permeating the night with their gentle glow.

Even from her spot high on the hill she could almost feel the excitement growing. Snatches of sound carried to her on the wind were full of music and shouting. Although the blanket of darkness obscured the campsite from her vision Kel knew that down in amongst the tents there would be partying, singing and story-telling. In the palace there would be banquets and dancing for the nobles to enjoy, and raucous celebrations in the mess halls and barracks of the soldiers.

Once again Kel had separated herself from the city, preferring to sit alone in the dark. Not completely alone however, Prince was settled on the ground behind Kel, and she leant back against his warm body, soothed by the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest.

Crickets and cicadas buzzed and clicked noisily in the undergrowth. Like the people in the city below, they too were unaware of who Kel really was and what she had set out to do. Unlike the people in the city below however, they were not about to be shown over the following two weeks the extent to which determination could mould a girl into an unbeatable warrior.

* * *

When the lists were put up the following morning Kel was one of the few up early enough to actually watch the tournament official pin them to the board. She scanned the documents anxiously and eventually spotted the number two-hundred-and-forty-three under the list for court twelve. She was to face competitor number three-hundred-and-seventeen, whoever that might be, in the fourth match of the day.

These qualifying matches did not have allotted times and the hope was that in doing so they could cram as many into one day as possible. It did mean however that the warriors had to hang around the court just in case the matches were running particularly early.

Kel wandered into the city and bought herself a pasty for breakfast. She wasn't very hungry, but forced the steaming snack down anyway.

Returning to her tent, Kel tied her hair back forcefully, so that every strand was secured tightly by a new leather thong. Just to be certain that her hair would not flop in front of her face, Kel tore a strip off an old headscarf and fashioned herself a bandana similar to those worn by traditional Yamani warriors.

She checked that her boots were tightly tied and her belt fastened securely.

These were only friendly matches in that you aimed to make your opponent yield, rather than trying to injure or kill them. Kel had therefore decided against wearing her mail because as light as it was, the weather was too hot and Kel hoped that she wouldn't need it. Besides, she was missing the helm, having left it somewhere on the blood-soaked plain of Somalkt.

After a moments consideration Kel slipped her wrist guards on beneath her shirt. They would not provide any real benefit but after Kel's last fight over one year ago, the snug wrist guards provided some comfort.

Kel began to stretch out, bending and extending her limbs to loosen and warm her muscles. When the bell signalling the start of the tournament rang, Kel ducked under the tent flap out into the gorgeous summer's day. With her competitor's identity token clutched in one hand and the other resting reassuringly on Courage's hilt Kel wove in and out of the milling spectators to reach court twelve.

By the time she had done so, Sir Waldram of Henleigh had already beaten his opponent, a blacksmith from the Lower City, and the second match was about to begin. This too was over in a matter of minutes, one man vastly outmatching the other.

Kel kept glancing about, wondering who would be her first opponent. She didn't have to wait long. The third match lasted for less than two and a half minutes and then Kel was summoned onto the court.

Her opponent was a soldier. He was taller than she was and had a rough, stringy look about him. He drew his palace issue sword and Kel mirrored him, letting Courage's blade gleam in the sunlight. A murmur ran through the crowd; perhaps this match would last longer with two proper fighters.

To the spectators' disappointment however, Kel's match was to be the shortest yet. She allowed the soldier to swing one blow before pulling off a complex manoeuvre to separate man and sword. Courage snaked to his neck before he'd even comprehended the loss of his weapon.

The whole thing hadn't even lasted twenty seconds. Stepping away, Kel sheathed her blade and signed the official's document. Kel shook hands amiably with the slightly put-out soldier and left the court.

She had survived the first match.

* * *

The second match passed in much the same way as the first. Kel beat the boy, who had clearly never held a sword before in his life within a matter of seconds.

In a way these easy matches were useful because she never drew any attention to herself. The last thing Kel wanted was for people to start talking about her.

Her third and final qualifying round came on the fourth day of the tournament. With Karlah in tow, for it was an afternoon match, Kel waited at the side of the court, stretching and settling her mind into a calm place, devoid of all her worries and emotions.

'Competitors two-hundred-and-forty-three, and eighty-nine,' called the court marshal.

Kel stepped onto the hard earthen court, acutely aware of the way her muscles were tensed, ready to react at a split-seconds notice. She bowed low to her opponent, her back muscles flexing smoothly. Kel bought Courage up in her right hand.

Since the injury to her right wrist, her left arm was probably stronger than her right, but Kel had decided to fight the tournament for the most part using her right hand; it was less conspicuous and it also meant that she could switch to her left hand for situations where she really needed an advantage.

'You may begin,' called the official in a deep baritone voice.

Kel stepped forward warily, waiting for her opponent to make the first move. He struck, and there was force behind the attack, but the way that his muscles had bunched and his stance had changed meant that Kel was able to prepare a defence and counter-attack even before his blow had struck her sword.

Courage glitter through the air, an extension of her arm and sliced cleanly through a dangling shirt sleeve that hadn't got out of the way in time. The foreign man took half a step backwards to buy himself some time.

Kel didn't take her eyes off of the man, waiting again for him to make the next move. The man's second attack came in a reign of blows that effectively prevented Kel from using her previous move again. The foreigner obviously knew something about swordplay. It didn't matter though; Kel blocked each and every blow easily, knowing exactly where the blows would land.

Not deterred, the dark-skinned warrior prepared for a third attack, obviously believing that he was dictating the fight. Without warning Kel sprung forwards, her sword arcing in a blur of metal. It caught the tip of the man's long sword and with an artful, strong twist, the sword was wrenched out of his hand and it spun away, coming to rest with a clatter on the wooden barrier between court and crowd.

Now the blue-tempered blade of Courage rested gently on the man's collarbone, the tip not even wavering as it was held in Kel's steady grip.

'I yield,' the man replied with a thick Carthaki accent.

Kel stepped back and bowed again. She wasn't even out of breath. Still focused, she slide the blade back into its plain scabbard and turned to the side of the pitch looking for Karlah.

It was only when she saw mouths open and hands moving, did she realised that the crowd was cheering for her. Noise suddenly filtered back in as though Kel had removed mufflers from her ears.

'Tha' was _amazing_,' shrieked Karlah, practically jumping up and down. 'You're gonna win, then I can tell ev'ry'ne tha' I know the winner.'

'Impressive,' said a voice that Kel had longed to hear for several weeks.

Kel spun on the spot and came face to face with a smiling, slightly sun-burnt Domitan of Masbolle.

'Been keeping busy then?' Dom's eyebrows rose comically.

'So, so,' replied Kel, not bothering to hide the grin that was creeping up her face.

'I'll jus' go,' muttered Karlah, 'See ya Lia.'

Kel was about to protest when Dom stepped forward and kissed her sweetly. All thought left Kel's mind, every worry and anxiety seemed to fade away.

When they broke apart, Kel couldn't help but dart her eyes sideways, convinced that everyone must be staring at her. They weren't. There was another match on, and as quickly as Kel had become their hero, they had found another one and were screaming for him to beat his adversary.

Now that she was only inches from his face, Kel noticed a fading lump and a shallow cut on Dom's forehead.

'What's this?' she asked. 'I said you should be careful.'

'It's nothing,' Dom brushed her fingers away.

'It's simply a reminder of this dear Sergeant's incompetence,' drawled a voice that was heart-breakingly familiar. 'I mean, how many of you had that bandit surrounded?'

'Shut up Meathead,' said Dom turning slowly. But Kel didn't hear him. Her eyes had flown from the bruise to a face that had materialised behind Dom's.

Emerald green eyes that were set in a fair-skinned face twinkled with mirth. The man ran a hand through light brown hair that was swept back from a widow's peak. Tall, though not as tall as Dom, he was lanky and stood casually, amused at the sight of the scowling Dom.

'Lia meet my cousin, Nealan of Queenscove,' sighed Dom. 'He was dropped on his head as a child and unfortunately-'

Dom was interrupted by Neal's louder voice proclaiming, 'Just because I have risen intellectually above my family's expectations…' he sniffed dramatically. 'You of all my cousins under-appreciate me.'

Kel had to use all three years of subterfuge and her many years of the Yamani lifestyle to hold herself together. Neal was standing in front of her, a real and so wonderfully _alive_ Neal.

He had the same lazy grin splayed across his face but he was taller than he had been as a page. Now a man of twenty, lounging easily in his tall frame, a well-used sword at his hip; he looked every bit the son of a ducal household.

Looking at them both together, Kel estimated Dom to be slightly older than Neal, but there couldn't have been much more than two years between them. Kel wondered how she hadn't spotted Neal in Dom before. They both shared the same nose and wide arched brow. They were even more alike in character though, both displaying the same confidence and flare for the dramatic. Perhaps this was what had drawn Kel to Dom in the first place?

'That was a tidy fight,' remarked Neal lazily, looking at Kel.

Kel was sure that every resident in Corus must be able to hear her heartbeat as it thudded frantically in her chest. Her eyes widened involuntarily, searching for any spark of recognition in Neal's eyes, any sign at all that he realised his best friend of four years ago had finally returned.

Still desperately trying to act normally Kel ducked her head at the compliment and asked 'Have either of you entered?'

Dom shook his head, 'I've only just returned and you have to enter before the tournament begins. Squire Meathead has though.' He gestured to Neal.

'You're a squire?' asked Kel innocently.

'I started training late,' explained Neal, 'when I was fifteen. Although believe it or not I can name-'

'Three or four pages who were older than you,' Dom butted in, evidently having heard this speech as many times as Kel had done. 'Come on Meathead; you won't be in the tournament for much longer if you miss your match.'

Tucking his arm comfortably around Kel, Dom escorted his cousin to court seven. Fortunately they didn't have to wait long before Neal stepped up to fight one of the male Rider captains.

'Why do you call him Meathead?' Kel asked.

'Trust me when I say this,' said Dom with emphasis, 'you will never meet _anyone_ more stubborn in your entire life.'

The duel started and Neal blocked the first two blows easily, sidestepping round a third. He attacked in a simple manoeuvre that the rider parried and they broke apart, circling each other slowly. They exchanged a few more blows, seemingly well matched, until Neal, in a burst of speed changed the direction of his sword, pulling it low, beneath the blade of his opponent. He brought the tip of the blade up to rest on the rider's nose.

The rider yielded and the match was over.

'Well tie me up and ship me to Carthak,' said Dom, sounding mildly impressed. 'That knight-mistress of his has managed to teach him something at least.'

'Knight-mistress?' asked Kel.

Dom gestured to the far side of the court where an incredibly short woman with fiery red hair was gesticulating as she talked to Neal.

'That's not?' The question died in Kel's throat.

'Oh yes,' said Dom cheerfully. 'My cousin got landed with the Lioness whose temper is sharper than her sword. If Neal learns to keep his opinions to himself, it'll be more than any of us were ever able to teach him.'

It took Kel a moment to digest this information. Before she had come to the Palace she had often daydreamed about riding across the land with the Lioness, rescuing people and fighting great battles. It stung slightly that she had taken on Kel's former best friend as her squire. If Kel had been allowed to stay could that be her discussing fencing techniques with the famed swordswoman?

Seeing that the Lioness had left, Kel allowed Dom to lead her over to where Neal was stood, all the while arguing and inside her head. She was trying to fend off disappointment and slight jealousy by reasoning that if she had been allowed to stay then she wouldn't be able to fight like she could. In her own way Kel had ridden into battle alongside heroes, the unsung fighters of Sekholm and Somalkt. She wouldn't have met Alex, Tor and even Rhonda. Knowing that her twisting speculative thoughts were entirely useless, Kel tried to push them to the back of her mind and focus on Dom, on the current moment. What had happened had happened, regardless of whether it was the best path for Kel to take.

'You're very quiet,' said Dom, looking down at her.

'Just thinking…' mused Kel as they approached Neal.

'Copper for your thoughts?'

'Are they worth so little?' Kel shot back, fixing a grin into place.

'So dearest cousin and Lia, is it? Shall we find some luncheon?' asked Neal.

On their way into the city, they bumped into Seaver of Tasride wearing the burgundy and maroon colours of his knight-master. This was not as big a shock as seeing Neal had been, but Kel was still amazed to note how different he looked four years on. Her memory was having trouble equating the skinny ten-year-old with the slender youth in a squire's uniform.

They found a quiet eating house without major incident, and met no more of Kel's long lost friends along the way. The three friends spent the rest of the afternoon engaging in easy conversation, Kel gradually getting over the reappearance Neal in her life.

* * *

The withered official, Billius of Mandash returned to the tournament office at the midday bell with his sheaf of papers.

'Oh hello Wyldon,' he squeaked. 'It's very hot out there today.'

Wyldon grunted, not looking up from the document he was reading.

'Competitor two-hundred-and-forty-three is one to look out for I think.' The old man wittered, collecting some more match slips. 'Just a young lass mind you, but she's got speed and handles the blade like a veteran warrior.'

'Mmm' muttered Lord Wyldon, still absorbed in his work.

'Well I'll see you at the feast tonight.' Billius tottered out once more, leaving the frowning conservative to his paperwork.

* * *

Block, parry and block once more, Kel cut upwards and very nearly forced her opponent to yield. At the last minute he stepped backwards and to the side. Kel pressed her advantage and their swords locked. The Knight from Disart was a lot larger than she was, but her muscles screaming, Kel managed to hold her ground. The knight's dark eyes widened, amazed that his young opponent was not budging.

Without warning Kel twisted round to the side, and not expecting her daring move the Knight stumbled forwards. Before he had even regained his balance Kel's blade was pressed to his throat.

'I yield,' he croaked, shock evident in his eyes.

Kel stepped backwards and bowed.

'Competitor two-hundred-and-forty-three will progress to the quarter-finals,' announced the official, writing the result down on an official-looking document.

Dom offered Kel his water gourd and she accepted it hastily, gulping at the contents. This match had lasted for a lot longer than Kel's previous fights, but she had kept her nerve and her skill and speed had won out in the end.

Interlinking her small sweaty hand with Dom's large callused one, they set off through the crowd together.

The Knight had been the eighth person to leave the tournament at Kel's hand. His predecessor's faces flashed through Kel's mind; two city boys, a squire, a Carthaki warrior, a rider and two fully decorated knights.

By the time that the sun set over the thriving campsite Kel would be one of sixteen competitors left in the tournament. It was inevitable she supposed for people to start noticing her. Up till now it had suited her purpose to maintain a low profile, but her next match was scheduled to be held on court one, watched by several hundred pairs of eyes.

Kel tried as hard as she could not to worry about the match the next day, knowing that worrying would do no good. She also discovered just how hard it was to let go of anxiety. The best remedy for her affliction was Dom, who seemed to find amusement in just about anything or anyone.

They went for a ride in the afternoon and passed the evening in a slightly seedy tavern in Highfields district, Dom drinking slightly more than Kel thought sensible.

* * *

'Victory to competitor two-hundred-and-forty-three,' cried the reedy voice of an official whom Raoul doubted could even heft a sword, let alone fight with one.

The victor sheathed her sword and bowed respectfully to the dark-skinned Bazhir warrior whom she had just beaten in less than five minutes.

She would progress, along with three others to the semi-finals.

Since the Shang Owl had been knocked out in the fourth round, this young competitor, whoever she was, had been the last surviving woman fighter. _She's quick, I'll give her that, _thought Raoul, though he doubted that she'd beat the Shang bear in the following day's match.

Raoul watched her signing the documents, her brown hair concealing her face. He wondered vaguely where she had come from; it could be from anywhere, the tournament certainly drew in competitors from all corners of the lands…

The tournament had been a nightmare to organise, even if the brunt of the blow had landed on Wyldon. Fortunately, with so few contestants left, the organisation had scaled down somewhat, leaving Raoul with ample opportunity to walk around and observe the people he'd sworn to protect until the day he died.

Suddenly realising just how high in the sky the sun was, Raoul made his way, with some difficulty due to his bulky frame, through the jostling crowds and up the quieter paths to the Palace. He was due to joust against Conal of Mindelan at one bell past midday and Drum would need readying, something that Raoul liked to do himself where possible.

Just over an hour later the large knight thundered to victory, sending the younger knight of Mindelan flying onto the hardened floor of the jousting lane.

Raoul, though not an arrogant man, wasn't surprised with the result. He had won the joust at the King's tournament for as far back as anyone could remember. Only one summer, twelve years previously had he conceded the title to Wyldon of Cavall.

With Wyldon having not entered this year, everyone expected Raoul to take the title, just as they expected Lord Imrah of Legann to win the archery contest. It was the outcome of the swordplay that had everyone guessing. Most expected Layton of Anak's Eyrie to win; at least he was the favourite with the gamblers. The other competitor believed to be in with a good chance was the Shang Bear.

Dismounting heavily, Raoul took Drum's reigns in his hand. He waved at the small crowd, acknowledging their cheering politely. At the front of the stands he saw a band of men that he recognised from the King's Own. Flyndan was there, as unsmiling as always, as was Quasim, Balim and several others.

As he walked past, smiling at the comments from his comrades he suddenly noticed that standing close to Dom, intimately close, was the girl who had qualified for the semi-final of the fencing. Resolving to ask Dom about her the next time they crossed paths, Raoul led Drum back to his stable for some well earned treats.

* * *

Dom looked across at Kel's supine figure. She had propped herself up on her elbows and her eyes were closed against the glaring rays of the sun. Her skin was tanned and littered with small freckles, suggesting that she spent the majority of her time out of doors.

He's eyes slide lower to the blade that he knew rested behind unassuming brown leather. He longed to know more about the woman that had entered his life …

Kel cracked one eye open. 'It's rude to stare,' she commented, smiling lazily.

'I can't help it,' Dom replied, 'you shine like a-'

'Okay,' interrupted Kel in a disbelieving tone. 'Do you think I should be getting down to the court yet?'

Dom shrugged. With an effort Kel sat up and stretched forward, reaching down to beyond her toes, resting her forehead upon her knees. She continued to stretch, letting thoughts filter slowly out of her brain, beginning to focus on the task ahead.

When she felt limber and supple, she made her way to court one, Dom trailing behind, sensing that Kel needed to concentrate.

Her opponent was the Shang Bear, famous, or so Kel had been told for his skill with the blade.

She unsheathed Courage, taking comfort in the perfect fit of the hilt in Kel's hand. This would not be different from any other fight, this was what she had trained for.

'Fencers take your starting positions,' instructed the official.

Looking up at last, she focused on the Shang's blade only, not even glancing at his face or bulging muscles.

The Shang began to circle her, trying to intimidate her. Not in the mood, Kel decided that now was as good a time as any and whipped her sword around for the first blow of the semi-final.

She followed it up with a reverse butterfly sweep that changed direction at the last moment, cutting diagonally upwards. It was blocked swiftly, just as Kel had expected it to be.

Not losing his nerve, the warrior calmly attacked with all of his fifteen years of combat experience. For minutes they moved in synch, swords clashing left right and centre. She discovered quickly that although the Shang Bear was fast, he was no faster than Alex and Kel had been trained, drilled into moving fast.

For ten minutes neither gained the advantage, awing the crowd with the relentless speed with which they exercised. The Shang was evidently trying to wear Kel out, but all of her hours training kicked into play and Kel refused to let the bulky warrior gain an advantage.

After repeating many blows and attacks Kel built up a picture of the man's weaknesses. Whenever the Shang blocked to his left-hand side, it took him slightly longer to bring his sword back around in time to attack again. Using this to her advantage, Kel rained blows to the man's left hand side and suddenly with the precision one would've thought impossible at such speeds she shifted her sword into an impeccable Scanran attack which slide past the Shang Bear's defences. Courage came to rest on the man's collarbone.

For a moment the whole scene stilled, the crowd seemingly immobile.

'I yield,' the man's sword dropped and Kel stepped backwards.

A cheer rose in the crowd, swelling and emulating until Kel's ears were ringing with the noise. She glanced round and for the first time appreciated just how many people had turned up to watch the second of the semifinal matches.

Faces jumped out at her from the crowd; Karlah leaping up and down, cheering wildly. Dom standing near the entrance a grin spread from ear to ear. Kel caught his eye and his smile widened further than was humanely possible.

Shyly and suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed by the crowds of people cheering, she went over to the official to confirm the result. Wiping her damp forehead with the back of her sleeve.

She left the court Courage still resting in her hand, walking back to her tent before the masses of people leaving the stands made such movement impossible.

Twenty minutes later Dom managed to fight his way over to her tent and duck through the flaps.

'That was unbelievable!' he exclaimed. 'How did you learn to fight like that?'

Kel paused for a moment before answering; not wanting to lie directly to someone that she liked so much.

'I learnt that if you want something done,' said Kel slowly, 'then you're best doing it yourself. I wanted to be good so I just practise a lot… I was taught mainly by my friend, the one that gave me my sword.'

Without another word Dom pressed his lips to hers and kissed her thoroughly. Kel caught herself thinking that if this was a reward for beating the Shang Bear then she would have to fight him more often…

* * *

**-a/n- **As you've probably noticed I've been experimenting with this chapter, writing sections from the perspectives of different characters. What do you think? Does it work?

Please review :D

**Confusedknight xxx**


	52. Return

**A/n- ** I'm not going to even try to explain the many hundreds of reasons why this update has been so slow in coming...

I've been writing Fallen for over two years! Can you believe it? Thank you to everyone and anyone who's stuck with me this far and has left me a review or PM-ed me. Without your reviews I sadly wouldn't have had the motivation to write this much, so thanks for all of your wonderful messages of encouragement!

This chapter, the long awaited one, has been planned since the beginning of this fic. Ironically this made it even harder to write than usual. I wanted it to be perfect but this is the best I can do…

It's dedicated to my best friend **Elfie-may** -thanks for being there on Tuesday, you're the best! (Thanks also to Thor-a-dore for much-needed prodding)...

Please listen to the song Fallen. It is the food that has fuelled this whole story. It's playcount on my mp3 has embarrassingly topped 1000!

Happy Christmas to you all!

**Confusedknight xx**

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* * *

  
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_**Fallen by Sarah McLachlan**_

_Heaven bent to take my hand  
And lead me through the fire  
Be the long awaited answer  
To a long and painful fight_

_Truth be told I've tried my best  
But somewhere along the way  
I got caught up in all there was to offer  
And the cost was so much more than I could bear_

_Though I've tried, I've fallen...  
I have sunk so low  
I have messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so..._

_We all begin with good intent  
Love was raw and young  
We believed that we could change ourselves  
The past could be undone  
But we carry on our backs the burden  
Time always reveals  
in the lonely light of morning  
in the wound that would not heal  
It's the bitter taste of losing everything  
I held so dear…_

_I've fallen...  
I have sunk so low  
I have messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so..._

_Heaven bent to take my hand  
Nowhere left to turn  
I'm lost to those I thought were friends  
To everyone I know  
Or they turned their heads embarrassed  
Pretend that they don't see  
But it's one missed step  
You'll slip before you know it  
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed_

_Though I've tried, I've fallen...  
I have sunk so low  
I have messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so..._

Kel lay awake for hours that evening, her thoughts tumbling and churning in her head like the waters of the Vassa after many weeks of rainfall. Memories of different fights assailed her; images of men missing limbs writhing on the ground, their lifeblood spraying from fatal wounds and the terror in the eyes of those who knew that they would not survive the battle.

Turning over Kel screwed up her eyes to try and dislodge these horrific scenes from her inner eyelids. Women being beaten to death because they couldn't work any more at the plantation, Jacqui dying and leaving behind three young children…

Kel moaned softly, wondering why tonight of all nights she was plagued by some of the worst moments of her life.

It took her a long time to drift into slumber.

* * *

_Kel's eyes were downcast, fixed upon the fabric of her blue woollen shift. Her clean delicate hands were neatly folded on her lap. Kel was aware of her calm deep breaths, audible in the stillness and the hard wood of the pew against her back._

_She was about to address the Goddess when the door opened, Kel hearing the noise fractionally before she felt the cool draft on the back of her neck. Heavy foot falls on the flagstone floor made Kel twist in her seat._

_A massive beast, seven feet tall stood in the doorway. Most of his body resembled a human's, albeit grossly enlarged and thickened. He had a bull's broad neck however and on top of his head were two broad horns. To one side Kel could glimpse a bull's tail. His nose almost resembled a human's but his jaws were large, slathering and his face wore an expression of undeniable triumph._

_She heard a shrill scream and leapt up. Acting on instinct Kel pulled Lucie out of the pews, almost hurling the girl into the corner, as far away from the monster as possible._

_As Kel searched desperately for a weapon, Lucie's screaming filled the temple, aggravating the Tauros so that it let out a deafening bellow and began to lurch forward._

_Kel's heart was thumping so hard that it hurt, but she willed herself to remain calm and at last she spotted a weapon._ _An old broadsword was displayed on the wall, much larger and thicker than Courage. Thanking her own luck, she yanked it off the wall. To her surprise it was heavy, much heavier than Courage, so heavy that it was a struggle to lift. Gripping it in two sweaty hands she dashed back towards Lucie, hampered slightly by her woollen gown._

_The beast had slowed and seemed to be assessing its prey. It turned its head slowly to fix unblinking eyes upon Kel, who stopped in her tracks, panting. She glanced around wildly for an escape route; somewhere that Lucie could run whilst she fended the beast off._

_Almost as if it knew what she was thinking, the air shimmered silver and the main doors swung closed with a sound that resonated round the temple, chilling the blood in Kel's veins. The silver mist covered the doors behind the altar too; they were trapped. When the echoes stopped all that could be heard were the harsh sounds of the beasts breathing and Lucie's terrified whimpering._

_The tauros seemed to have come to a decision and started once again toward Lucie. Grimly Kel ploughed forward and with an astonishing effort she swung the mighty sword upwards and brought it down, but the beast deflected the blow with one huge horn. _

_Kel's attack seemed to have provoked it however and although Kel had darted backwards it started towards her instead. Kel had a brief moment of triumph; Lucie was safe for the time being, but all that feeling drained from her as she realised that now the beast was coming for her and all she had to defend herself was a sword which she could barely swing fast enough to surprise anything._

_Deciding that being backed into a corner wasn't the best idea, Kel gritted her teeth and like many times before in her life, she stood her ground._

_As the beast grew within the distance of her sword she stepped forward and stabbed the beast's shoulder. Thick drops of glutinous silver blood spattered onto the stone floor and it howled in anger._

_Kel couldn't understand why she felt so sluggish. What was wrong with her? Looking down she saw, not the body of a woman, but that of an undernourished eleven-year-old. _

_Cold dread filled Kel's heart as she looked back up, meeting the monster's emotionless eyes. It was happening all over again. With nothing else to do as the tauros charged forwards Kel swung the ancient weapon again, hating the un-coordination of her limbs. _

_This time however the beast was wary and dodged her deadly swing, turning to the side. With a grunt of effort she brought the sword back across managing to create another shallow wound which leaked silver blood._

_Her third swing was far too slow and the beast lurched forward twisting the weapon from Kel's grip in one fluid motion. Kel was jerked forward by the unexpected attack and the tauros' second horn gouged her. Scarlet blood began to seep from the long wound which extended the full width of her chest, just below her collarbones. _

_The force of the blow had tossed her clean off her feet. She slammed back down onto the cold floor and rolled over once. Pain was flaring across her chest and her dress was already stained red, the scarlet mark blossoming and growing with each second. Terror was settled in Kel's heart because she knew what was about to happen and she was powerless to stop it. _

_It__ was upon her before she had time to think or scream for help, its huge mass bearing down on her, attacking mercilessly, without pause or thought. _

_Kel was barely conscious; all she could feel was pain. Her mouth was open and she realised that she was screaming involuntarily, the noise wracking her vocal chords. Reaching up with one, small, blood-covered hand she reached into her hair and then drove her hand upwards. When she unclasped her hand a silver handle was just visible embedded in the beast's chest. Then she reached up and pulled in out. It was like a barrel had been uncorked and suddenly the beast's life blood poured out in a torrent onto Kel. It twitched and shuddered twice before collapsing, dead._

_Kel coughed, choking as the acrid blood entered her mouth. She was pinned beneath the hulking mass of the tauros. The scream had died in her throat and for horrible moments Kel thought she was going to die, half drowned, half suffocated beneath the corpse of her attacker._

_Suddenly she heard footsteps and felt the load on her chest lighten as the carcass was hauled off of her. She stared up through horrified eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was paralysed with shock and pain._

_One of the men who'd dragged the tauros away bent down and took hold of her hand, his one feeling large and warm. Through her tear-blurred vision she saw blue eyes and a face that was achingly familiar. A younger version of Dom stared down at her, horrified._

_Kel ran, her desire to flee overriding the pain. She left the temple, sprinting across the paved platform and starting down the slope of the hill. A weed caught her ankle and she fell, tumbling over and over…_

Kel jerked and awoke, soaked in cold sweat. She shivered still blinking away the nightmare. Turning over she buried her face in the soft material of her pillow, breathing heavily. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes and seeped into the cotton material.

Dom had been there, at the temple. He had seen what had happened. Kel could not believe that she hadn't realised before.

Knowing that she would never be able to sleep now, Kel rolled out of her pallet and searched for a dry shirt. She was looking for one in particular. It was at the bottom of one of her saddlebags. It was one of the shirts that she had brought with her from Scanra, the one that she had been wearing when she'd last seen Alex.

The sleeve was dirty, stained with blood from her wrist injury, the material still torn open. Kel tied the wraps from shoulder to sleeve that kept the sleeves tight and not flapping. She struggled into a pair of breeches and pulled on her worn boots.

As she leant forward to strap her belt tightly to her slim waist, her chain fell forward and Kel found herself looking at the small charms and talismans that reminded her of different people and places.

'_You show them Keladry of Mindelan, you show them…' _Alex's words echoed in her ears as clearly as though she'd just heard them.

It was still dark outside and Kel stepped through the deserted rows of tents, the dew darkening her boots. Kel debated where she could go. She had to do _something_ to calm herself down. It would be too early to go and find Prince, as he would be securely locked away in the backyard of the Jugged Hare.

Suddenly struck by an idea, and not really thinking straight, Kel's legs led her up the gravel path that wound towards the palace. On the Eastern side of the building, Kel entered a dim corridor, lit only by a flickering oil lamp.

She pushed open the dark door and slipped inside the dusty chapel. Peering up through tear-laced lashed Kel observed the interior of the chapel of ordeal.

It was rumoured that pages who visited the chapel never became squires, but Kel was not a page anymore and the chapel was never locked.

The flickering shadows played across the gold ornaments on the altar and the burnished face of Mithros giving him an eery, serious expression.

Kel stepped down through the chapel, her feet barely making a noise on the stone floor. Swallowing audibly, she stepped up to the ornate door that lead to the Chamber of Ordeal.

Not entirely sure why she did so, Kel laid her small, tired hands against the iron door.

Instantly she was pitched forward onto a plain, the sun still low in the sky. Alex was standing there, his face more lifelike and powerful than any of her memories. A cry rose in her throat and she started to run towards him. The ground squelched beneath her feet and Kel made the mistake of glancing down. Horrified, Kel realised that the earth beneath her feet was stained crimson with blood. She looked up at Alex and his small band of fighters. Alex stared grimly back at her.

Still running as fast as she could Kel could suddenly discern the noise of a horn filtering from over the hill. Maggur's army appeared on the horizon, tramping steel and leather in many thousands. Alex's group of rebels were outnumbered and surrounded. Even if she reached him in time what could she do?

Tears began to stream from Kel's horrified hazel eyes, this couldn't happen, it _couldn't_.

Kel staggered back from the chamber door, her hands red and raw like she'd just dunked them in boiling water. Though her vision was blurred by tears, Kel's path suddenly seemed clearer than it had ever been before. She would win the tournament; there could be no option of failure.

Her cheeks were still damp as she fled from the chapel of Ordeal, hurtling round corners and out into the dim morning. An early rising servant glanced up at her as she raced past, but Kel didn't slow down. The cool air was hurting her lungs and she slowed to a walk, trying to control her erratic behaviour.

Eventually she came to rest in the outskirts of the Royal forest, sinking to the soft ground beneath a tree and resting her head on her knees.

* * *

'Lia?' Dom called. When there was no reply he poked his head around the tent flap. Puzzled, for every other morning before a match Dom had found Kel sitting in quiet meditation or stretching, he straightened up.

Dom checked everywhere he could think of, including all the practice courts before conceding defeat. Realising that Kel might want to be alone before the fight he met up with Neal instead, who was ranting about his intolerable knight-mistress.

'She got word of an outbreak of water-fever just south of Corus and dragged me off for the _entire _day. I missed the semi-final,' said Neal, sounding put-out.

'Lia made it through,' Dom said absently.

'I heard,' replied Neal. 'The Lioness is thrilled.'

'Shall we go and get a good view?' asked Dom.

As they made their way over to court number one, the largest of practice courts, they discovered that several wooden platforms and stands had been erected around its perimeter.

'So do you think she has a chance?' Neal inquired as they climbed into the bottom row of the stands.

Dom shrugged, 'Sir Layton is good, _very_ good…'

'But?'

'If you'd seen her fight yesterday…she beat the Shang Bear which isn't an easy task. I've never seen any fighting style quite like it. She looks to be an ordinary swordswoman, and then suddenly she speeds up so that she's faster than a Shang and with moves that I've never seen…'

'The conservatives will be angry if she wins,' said Neal with relish.

'Mmm,' said Dom, wondering for the thousandth time what it was that was so special about Lia.

* * *

Kel skulked in the shadows, unnoticed by those chattering excitedly on their way to the court.

She had calmed down and had boxed all emotion away as she had once been trained to do by the Yamani's. Detached, she checked everything from her boot laces to her wrist guards. Readjusting the strap of material around her head, Kel straightened and unsheathed Courage.

Her limbs were ready, her mind was ready, she would not fail…As Kel walked onto the earthen arena, the noise of the crowd doubled.

* * *

Dom straightened as Kel entered, his eyes greedily roving over her face, wondering anxiously if she was alright.

Kel was staring out over the crowd with her dreamy eyes, her face totally impassive and unconcerned. Dressed in a dirty old shirt and breeches, with her usual wrist guards she looked starkly underdressed in comparison to the knight that she was challenging.

Sir Layton was a good seven inches taller than Kel and with his gleaming armour he looked about twice as broad. From an observer's point of view she looked horribly outmatched, but Dom knew that speed and skill were often more important than brawn.

A tournament official was speaking to the two competitors but over the clamour there was no way that Dom could here what they were saying.

Everyone stilled as the knight bowed to the woman, and the woman returned the bow.

The final of the King's tournament began.

* * *

Kel's focus was so intense, so honed that it was almost painful. The crowd had disappeared. Even her anxiety and nerves had been swamped into oblivion by the adrenalin that thundered through her veins.

Muscles shifted silently beneath cotton clothes and skin, ready to face the onslaught.

When Sir Layton stepped forward he attacked with speed, jabbing and reversing at any opportunity. Kel defended it all, though not as efficiently as she had done against other competitors. Beneath all of his armour, and the fact that he was a very good swordsman, Layton moved without warning.

It didn't phase Kel however, who was used to Alex's cat-like attacks. She stood her ground, attacking whenever the opportunity presented itself. When their swords clashed the noise rang in the air, sparks literally flying in their thousands, momentarily glowing and flaring before sinking to the floor.

As the match progressed, blow matching blow, neither gained the upper hand. Kel was not tired; she had trained too long for that, but she was still having difficulty predicting the Knight's varying movements.

Several times Courage came close to scratching the Knight's shining breastplate, but Layton stepped out of the way just in time.

Both swords met and the two fighters heaved, trying to bear down on each other. Kel struggled, her muscles screaming. Here Layton had a definite advantage. Sidestepping in a risky move she darted round and swiped the Knight's side. Almost expecting the move, Layton's sword twirled and nicked Kel's right tricep.

Dark red blossomed and for the first time Kel was aware of the crowd's collective gasp. Trying to use his advantage, the knight entered a series of arm-numbing attacks.

Her right arm weak and throbbing, Layton knocked her blade to the side. Kel made a split-second decision. As he brought the next blow around, she knew that her sword would be only provide a weak defence. Instead Kel leapt and twisted, like an acrobat flying, landing in a crouch. Straightening up, her grip on the sword double-handed she faced the knight again.

The unexpected move had bought Kel the time she needed. Her grip on the hilt was dominated by her uninjured left arm. After two blocks Kel suddenly released the sword into the sole control of her left arm.

Attacking in earnest, Kel drove Courage wildly through a mixture of Yamani, Tortallan and Scanran sequences. She was speeding up, Courage a blur and for the first time started to force the knight to fight the way she wanted him to.

Kel knew that if she concentrated her attacks on his left side, he would presume that she would feint to the right. She did just that and then with a blade movement so fast it was a blur, double-feinted back to her left and landed a resounding blow.

Her follow-up attack was merciless and soon she had the knight stepping backwards out of the way. Knowing that he would soon be in a corner, the knight's moves became more desperate and gaps started to appear.

Coolly Kel exploited any weakness she could find. The knight was evidently unused to fighting against a left-handed opponent and tended to leave small openings.

Without even hesitating, their exchange of blows continued, Kel's body working like a well oiled machine; her feet, body position and blade were all in perfect harmony, displaying the results of hundreds of hours of practice.

She almost knew it was about to happen before it did. Layton performed the same counter-move as he had done minutes before, and like then there was room for Kel to drive her sword forwards and upwards.

Transferring her weight gave her momentum, allowing Kel to travel forwards. Defending herself with the base of the blade, she let the tip settle at the gap between Layton's breastplate and harness.

After a moments pause Layton said raspily, 'I yield.'

The crowd was so still and silent that you would've heard the chink of two coppers in a page's pocket. There hadn't been such a fight since Alanna had defeated Duke Roger on the day she was knighted.

Then the crowd went wild. Whistles, cheers and screams filled Kel's ears with such sudden intensity that she almost flinched. Sheathing Courage Kel bowed low to the knight, who returned the courtesy.

Dom had his fingers in his mouth, whistling, shocked and ecstatic that Kel had won the tournament. He watched as Kel probed her blood-stained upper arm with almost clinical interest.

Dom wanted to go to her, to help her, congratulate her, but there was no way he'd make it out of the congested stands anytime soon, and even as he watched she disappeared out of the arena.

* * *

Kel's heart was still hammering as she scuttled back to her tent, barely able to comprehend what she had achieved. Throbbing pain began to filter in, but Kel knew that her arm wasn't badly hurt. Wincing, she bandaged her arm tightly and slipped on a new shirt, discarding her wrist guards.

Shaking with unidentifiable emotion, she collapsed onto her pallet and sat with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to calm down. She had achieved what she had set out to do; she had made people take notice. Now that she had their attention Kel knew that it was time to face what she'd been running from for four years.

Kel clambered to her feet and swayed, allowing her light-headedness to pass. Forcing her breathing to be deep and steady, Kel left the tent; she didn't want Dom or anyone else to find her before she said what she had to say.

* * *

Standing in the shadows, waiting to be presented with her winnings, was a constant battle for Kel. The easy option would be to simply say nothing, why not seek out her parents at a later date? Kel was sorely tempted by this idea, but, although she felt sick with nerves, this was something that Kel had to do, if only to prove to herself that she could face everyone.

Kel's legs were shaking so badly that she had to keep moving on the spot to hide it. From her position she could see the raised platform, bearing the King, Alanna the Lioness, Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, Sir Gareth of Naxen (the younger) and Lord Wyldon.

In the stands reserved for nobles Kel laid eyes upon the familiar faces of her parents. Far from bringing comfort, this made her shake even more.

She watched as Lord Imrah of Legann collected his archery trophy, and Lord Raoul, much to the crowd's pleasure received the trophy for the joust.

'Citizens of Tortall,' began the King when the crowd settled. 'Friends from abroad, all who are gathered here today, we are proud to present a sum of one hundred gold nobles to the winner of the King's Tournament.'

A cheer emerged from the excited throng and Kel forced herself to step forward. Walking, like a prisoner to the gallows Kel stepped up onto the platform. She had let her face slip into its Yamani mode, but was too busy concentrating on the flips that her stomach was performing. Her mouth was dry and she felt dizzy with nerves.

'Kneel,' commanded the King.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath Kel replied; 'No.' The crowd quietened. If they hadn't been paying attention before, then they were now.

'I think I must've misheard you?' said Jon, trying to keep his voice calm and light.

'I said no,' replied Kel, holding her nerve, despite the fact that she felt like she was about to slip sideways in a dead faint.

The King was now getting over his initial shock and was starting to look annoyed and a little angry.

'Your name Lady Warrior?' He asked, anger evident in his voice. 'As your King I command you to kneel. You owe me your allegiance…'

Anger, sparked by her nerves, flared in Kel. She took a deep breath, bringing her stone cold eyes up to catch the King's.

'Keladry of Mindelan' she said, her clear voice carrying across the silent crowd. '…and I owe you _nothing_.'

The King's sapphire blue eyes widened in shock and Kel could hear a collective intake of breath in the crowd behind her. Time seemed to pause for a fraction of a second, and then, knowing that all of Uusoae's realmwas about to break loose, Kel turned on her heel, striding down the wooden structure. She made the mistake of glancing up at her parents in the stands for nobles and saw tears pouring down Ilane's cheeks. Feeling her own eyes well up she dodged the guards that stood nearby, jumped off of the platform and sprinted away.

* * *

'Kel? That can't be Kel,' Merric half shouted to Seaver, his eyes goggling in his freckled face.

Seaver was craning his neck, trying to spot where the woman had disappeared too.

'Kel's hair was a lot darker and shorter,' reasoned Merric.

'You dolt it's probably _grown,'_ said Seaver exasperatedly, giving up his futile attempts to spot Kel.

'But if it is her, then why didn't anyone know who she was? Why didn't her family know?'

'No one's heard from Kel for three and a half years,' said Neal slowly, running his hand through his hair, his mouth half gaping as his brain slowly sorted itself out.

'Precisely, so how can it be Kel? Where would she have learned to fight like that? Where could she have been for all this time?'

Ignoring Merric's questions, Neal began to shoulder his way through the crowd, trying to reach his cousin.

Dom had half collapsed back against the stand, shock splashed across his face. Neal grabbed Dom's shoulder roughly and pulled Dom to face him.

'Tell me you didn't know who she was?' he asked in a tone of mingled anger, confusion and desperate hope.

Dom shook his head slowly, 'Mithros,' he said weakly. 'We should have done something.'

'What are you talking about?' demanded Neal, his emerald green eyes a whirlwind of emotion.

'I need to speak to her…' said Dom vaguely, his voice trailing off as his limbs started to coordinate themselves into a purposeful stride.

He elbowed and shoved his way to the end of the stand and down the steps. As Dom made his way out of the crowd, closely followed by Neal, he saw two men coming towards him with equally horrified and shocked expressions on their faces. Dom didn't pause, but carried on to Kel's tent, walking so fast he was practically running. The other three men struggled to keep up. He ducked into Kel's tent.

Kel sat on the floor, not even bothering to look up to see who had entered. She trembled ever so slightly.

'Kel?' asked Dom. The name sounded strange and unfamiliar in his mouth. He knelt next to her and with gentle fingers pushed her chin up. There were unshed tears pooled in her hazel eyes and she wouldn't meet his gaze.

There was the sound of footsteps, muffled by the grass and then three more men entered the tent. She looked slowly at Lord Raoul, Lord Wyldon and Neal through blurred vision. And then, finally she looked at Dom.

'You were there?' she blurted out, her voice dangerously close to cracking.

Dom's nod confirmed her dream. 'You really are Keladry of Mindelan?'

Kel pulled down the collar of her shirt, revealing one portion of the scar beneath her collarbones.

Now it was his turn to look away. 'I'm so sorry Kel, we should have protected you,' there was self-loathing in his voice. 'We failed.'

Kel blinked and a few tears overflowed, it hadn't even occurred to her to blame Dom, Raoul or Wyldon for what had happened.

'No,' said Kel softly, 'It's no one's fault.'

'You saved her,' croaked Lord Wyldon, 'you sacrificed yourself to save Lucie.'

Kel said nothing, wishing that they would just let the subject be.

'Kel?' asked Neal's voice, more serious that she had ever heard it before. 'Is it really you?'

Kel nodded miserably, more tears making their salty way down her cheeks.

'Why didn't you say something?' Neal asked, hurt creeping into his voice. 'Mithros, I thought you were DEAD!' he shouted angrily. 'Do you know how many times I've prayed even for a _whisper_ that you were alive? But we've heard nothing, _nothing._ You just disappeared, ran away without any thought of the people who cared for you.'

As Neal ranted Kel began to cry softly. She knew Neal had a right to be angry with her.

'Neal,' said Dom sharply. 'We can talk this all out later when everyone's a bit calmer.'

Neal was about to reply, but instead stormed away, leaving the tent flap fluttering behind him.

'We should get you up to the castle,' said Raoul gently. 'If people find out that this is your tent, you'll have no peace. I'm sure there are a lot of people anxious to see you, but at least in a proper room you can decide who you want to talk to and when.'

Dom nodded and helped Kel to her feet. Kel roughly brushed away her tears with the back of her sleeve and gathered up her things.

'Here, let me take that,' said Raoul kindly, slinging Kel's bag over his shoulder.

They made their way up to the castle, Kel hiding behind a curtain of her tousled hair. Lord Wyldon slipped away silently and Raoul and Dom led Kel to a room in the nobles' wing.

Raoul lightly set her things down on a table. 'Is there anything I can get you?' He asked.

'Can you tell my parents where I am?' asked Kel gruffly.

'Of course.' Raoul left the room.

'I'll understand if you want me to leave you,' said Dom.

'Do you want to leave me?' asked Kel peering up through damp lashes.

'Never,' said Dom softly, and he bent down to kiss her. When they broke apart he said, 'You can call yourself Delia of Eldorne for all I mind, it's the person in here,' he gestured to her heart and head, 'that I love.'

'But I lied to you,' Kel pointed out.

'I don't care,' Dom replied with emphasis, his large hands gently cupping her face. 'And one day, when you feel you're ready, you can tell me how you became one of the realm's finest swordsmen.'

'One day,' promised Kel.

'I can wait,' Dom assured her.

At that moment there was a knock on the door.

'I'll come back later,' he said.

With one final caress of her cheek with his thumb, Dom left and Lady Ilane came in through the door, Piers following shortly after.

Kel stood awkwardly still, her eyes greedily ranging over every detail of her parents faces, details that she had forgotten.

'Oh Kel!' exclaimed her mother, and Ilane, all dignity forgotten flew across the room to embrace her daughter. Her face paint, already streaked and blurred was subjected to fresh bombardment as tears streamed from Ilane's eyes.

'Mama,' Kel whispered and hugged her mother back, inhaling the lemongrass scent that accompanied the elder lady wherever she went.

When Ilane relinquished her hold on her youngest daughter, Piers stepped forward to grasp Kel's forearms. He held Kel at arms length, examining her as though he were barely able to believe it was her. He ran a dry, wrinkled thumb across the slight ridge in her nose where it had been broken, and the scar on her eyebrow.

'We've missed you,' he said simply, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Kel struggled not to cry, fighting the burning sensation in her tear ducts.

'I've missed you too,' whispered Kel, 'but-'

'Shh,' said Ilane. 'There'll be time for explanations later, you're back, and that's the most important thing.'

The lady set about making calming draughts of willow tea, constantly glancing back over her shoulder to check that Kel was still there, that it wasn't her imagination.

'So how is everyone?' asked Kel tentatively.

'Tilane has given birth to two more healthy boys,' Ilane called over her shoulder.

'Princess Shinkokami is betrothed to marry Prince Roald,' her father told her, filling her in on the political news. 'It all went very smoothly actually…'

After an hour, the conversation was whittling thin, and Kel stood up, 'There's someone I have to find.'

She cringed inwardly at the dash of fear that entered her mother's eyes.

'I'll eat with you this evening,' Kel assured her as she slipped away.

* * *

Kel was led to Neal's squire's quarters by a maid and knocked three times on the door.

There was a moments silence and then the sound of other doors opening and footsteps across stone floor. The teak door swung open to reveal a short woman with coppery red hair and the strangest eyes Kel had ever seen.

The amethyst eyes widened in surprise as she registered the visitor.

'Is Neal there?' asked Kel in her quiet manner, refusing to give in to her instinct to shy away from this respected warrior.

'No,' said Alanna shortly. 'I think I saw him heading in the direction of the library.'

'Thank you,' said Kel with a small bow and she turned to leave.

'Wait,' said Alanna. 'It's Keladry isn't it?'

'Kel, my lady.'

'Kel,' Alanna corrected herself. 'You fought very well today.'

Kel ducked her head in a minute bow, acknowledging the compliment.

'You have any interesting fighting style, unique,' commented the Lioness. 'May I?'

She gestured to Courage. Unsure of where the conversation was headed, Kel kept silent and passed Alanna the shining blade that had been Kel's stoic companion for so long.

Alanna tested the weight and balance of the sword with the experience of a veteran fighter. She then examined the blade's surface, her eyes finally coming to rest on the engraved writing.

'That's Scanran isn't it?'

Kel, knowing that Alanna already knew the answer, nodded.

'Well this is worth its weight in gold,' Alanna remarked, passing the sword back to Kel. 'But a sword is only as good as the man, or woman that wields it. Fortunately this blade has found an equal in you,' said Alanna, looking directly up at Kel. 'I would be honoured if you'd join me for practise sometime.'

'The honour would be mine,' said Kel, hiding her shock.

The two women bowed and departed; Alanna back to her room and Kel to the library.

* * *

Neal was indeed in the library, his lanky form supported by a case of ancient books.

He looked up as Kel paused, three paces from him.

'Come for a walk with me?' she offered.

Nodding silently Neal pushed himself upright, his green eyes unreadable. He led Kel from the oppressive silence of the library and into the eye-watering sunlight of the summer's day.

They twisted and turned through the manicured gardens; walking past carved benches and sculpted hedges. Expensive fish swum in the cool waters of specially crafted ponds, sunlight glinting off of their scales as the pair walked past.

'Neal…' started Kel, unable to bear it any longer. 'I'm sorry, I really am…' she said helplessly.

Neal's stride didn't falter.

'I only came back a few months ago.'

'Back from where?' Neal whirled around so quickly that Kel almost bumped into him. 'I thought you were _dead! _Does that not mean anything to you? Couldn't you have just sent one letter? Just one…' his voice trailed away.

'Neal,' said Kel wretchedly. 'What were you told about why I ran away in the first place?'

'You were at the convent,' he started slowly. 'There was an immortal attack, you saved the Stump's daughter and then ran away,' he added as an afterthought, 'into a blizzard.'

Kel exhaled. 'It was a tauros Neal.' Her hazel eyes met his emerald ones.

'What happened?' he asked quietly.

Kel broke the eye contact. 'I couldn't fight it off, not without a proper weapon.' She whispered. 'I got injured pretty badly and …'

'And?'

'What do tauros's usually do?' Kel snapped softly. 'Then I ran,' she said simply. 'Half-crazed with shock and blood loss I stole a horse, but when the blizzard started I fell and I don't really remember anything more. For a long time after that I didn't stop running…'

'Why did you come back?' asked Neal confused.

'I remembered a promise I made,' she said, a lone tear straying down her cheek. 'I couldn't hide forever. And I'm so sorry,' Kel's voice cracked. 'I would've found you sooner if I wasn't such a coward.'

Neal stepped forward to embrace the stranger that was his old friend. Though she was only fifteen the body he hugged was that of a woman, vastly different to the eleven-year-old who had left him behind one summer's evening.

The only familiar part of Kel was her pair of deep hazel eyes peeping out from underneath long damp eyelashes. Time had broken her nose, removed her Yamani face and left scars that littered her worn hands.

'What do you mean to do now?' asked Neal.

'Fight,' said Kel simply.

* * *

**a/n-** Sheesh! Long chapter!! I hope that was worth the stupidly long wait :D

Please leave a review -it is christmas!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	53. Deliberations

**-a/n-** This update was faster than a ninja! Well…maybe not, but fast compared to my usual speed. Don't you just love Christmas holidays? :D

Thanks for all the amazing reviews for the last chapter! Please keep 'em coming as we venture into the next stage of the story…

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

Lord Wyldon paused high up on the castle wall to survey the slumbering city below. Though the sun was only just creeping skywards the air was pleasantly cool on his sweaty forehead. He was about to continue his routine jog when he spotted someone on the ground below.

The figure's face was shadowy in the dim light, but their build was slight with the outline of a sword belted at one hip. A long braid of hair flapped behind her as she ran, her athletic legs covering the ground easily.

Although Wyldon couldn't confirm it, he would be prepared to bet the finest horse he'd ever bred that it was Keladry of Mindelan. He watched as she jogged up the path that led to a large complex of practice courts and disappeared out of sight.

Sighing to himself and wondering how quickly his letter would reach Lucie, who was safe at home in Cavall, Wyldon began to jog once more.

* * *

Kel brushed stray strands of hair out of her face and leaned forward, stretching as she recovered her breath. She had risen before dawn to go for a long run around the palace grounds. The peace and freedom had done much to calm her down, releasing some of the tension that had accumulated overnight.

On the empty practice court she began to swing her sword, letting it twirl and lead her through a whirlwind of moves. Absorbed in what she was doing, Kel barely noticed as others filtered onto the space to share the enormous training ground.

'Would you like a practice duel?' asked a woman. It wasn't the voice of Alanna the Lioness and Kel looked up, surprised. It was Eda Bell, the old Shang Wildcat who had taught her staff work during her year as a page.

'Alright,' said Kel easily, shaking out her shoulders and arms. Kel fought left-handed to save the cut in her right arm from tearing open and soon engaged the older woman in a fierce duel.

The old Shang had many years of experience on her side and Kel was hard pressed to match her speed. However, like Fassin, the Wildcat had trained with many different weapons, whereas Kel was a swordswoman through and through.

To begin with Kel blocked and attacked varying her moves and sequences to try and catch the woman off-guard. Everywhere that Courage snaked Eda's weapon was just as fast following, blocking with resounding clangs.

Kel knew that she wouldn't be able to wait for Eda to tire, because it would undoubtedly take a long time. This was just a practice match however, and throwing caution to the wind, she treated it like she would a match against Alex.

Kel pressed forward daringly when she attacked, physically stepping forward to force Eda to not only block but also to change her body position. Ignoring the sweat on her forehead Kel upped the intensity and delivered a series of sharp blows to the Shang's sword, back-cutting wherever possible.

Eventually it was a complex Scanran feint that left the opening Kel needed to twist her blade around the Wildcat's and wrench it from her grip.

There was a smattering of applause from varied onlookers as the pair bowed to each other.

'Very impressive Keladry,' said Eda as she retrieved her sword. 'You have been taught well, far better than any of us could have done. If Liam were alive today then I reckon you would present him a true challenge.'

'Liam?' questioned Kel, sheathing her sword.

'The last Shang Dragon.'

'Oh,' said Kel, pleased with the compliment.

'Will you join me for some unarmed combat?' asked Eda.

Kel nodded enthusiastically; she had not trained with anyone since leaving the desert.

The Wildcat circled, her hands clenching into fists. She sprang lightly forward, aiming for Kel's side. Kel twisted out of the way. When Eda came at her again, this time throwing a double punch, Kel was forced to use her arms to block the blows. She pivoted and snapped her leg out in a kick that Eda dodged easily.

The older woman threw more punches, of which only one slid past Kel's defence to land on toned muscle. Eda used the momentum of her attack to try to throw Kel, who twisted and snaked a leg, beneath Eda's feet, effectively countering the move.

More kicks were thrown by the Shang warrior. Kel noted that the Wildcat, being a small, stringy woman was not as strong as Fassin. However she was much faster and Kel barely had time to mount any attacks at all, throwing all her energy into dodging and blocking everything that was thrown at her.

In the thick of the fighting Kel's legs were swept from underneath her and she fell, grabbing the lady's wrist firmly and pulling her down too as she had once done with Rhonda. They rolled over in the dirt and as they wrestled briefly. Kel used an enormous amount of effort to throw the stubborn lady off of her and sprang up. Eda was faster to her feet than Kel and launched into the fight once more.

Kel misinterpreted a feint and felt a callused fist collide with her lip. Her head snapped back and she felt warm liquid dribbling into her mouth and down her chin. Kel gave no indication that she wanted to stop and with renewed energy landed another punch on the Wildcat's arm. Unfortunately this gave Eda the opening she needed and Kel found herself being booted backwards by a blow to the stomach. She twisted as she flew, smacking the ground as she landed and using the momentum to spin upwards once more.

Once on two feet again Kel gasped for air, winded. She looked up and saw that Eda had decided to stop. Unlike when practising with a sword there was rarely a winner in unarmed combat, unless you carried on hurting each other until one surrendered.

Kel didn't surrender; she could carry on if she really wanted to, but instead bowed to the Wildcat, acknowledging her skill.

With air finally entering her lungs Kel wiped her bloodied lip on her sleeve, spitting a mixture of blood and saliva onto the ground.

'You've been trained by a Shang.' It was not a question.

Kel nodded.

'Who?'

'Fassin, the Shang Hawk.'

Eda shook her head, indicating that she didn't know him.

'You have a nice strong kick but your punches need work, and,' she said, continuing her analysis, 'You must be careful not to leave your left side open.'

She examined Kel from head to foot. 'Will you be here tomorrow morning?'

'Yes.'

'We'll work on it then.' The old lady bowed abruptly and walked away.

Kel flexed her fingers and rubbed her sore knuckles. She also examined the wound on her arm that had begun to seep blood. Cursing under her breath Kel tightened the bandage beneath her shirt sleeve.

'Kel,' called Ilane.

'Yes Mama?' Kel looked up from her task to see Ilane in a training Kimono, surrounded by several other women.

'Will you join us for glaive practice? We number five and with one more we can pair off.'

'I would be honoured,' replied Kel politely noticing the royalty within the group of women.

Kel was introduced to Princess Shinkokami, who stood at exactly the same height as Kel, looking out on the world through slanted pretty eyes. Her complexion, unlike Kel's freckles and tan was a gorgeous peach-gold. Her glossy black hair, like all of the other Yamani ladies was tied back simply and held in place with an elaborate clasp.

'Cricket?' asked Kel dredging up memories of her time spent in the Isles.

The Princess cast a sideways glance before laughing gleefully. 'You do remember me! I told Yuki I did not think you would!'

Kel looked to the lady on Shinkokami's right.

'Lady Yukimi noh Daiomoru?' Kel asked and received the answer when the plump Yamani's beetle black eyes crinkled with mirth.

'You have changed very much too, Keladry of Mindelan.'

Kel was not sure how to reply and was saved from doing so as the Princess introduced her second attendant. 'I do not believe you have met Lady Haname noh Ajikuro.'

'No,' demurred Kel as she bowed to the lady. _Actually we have met,_ thought Kel, thinking back to a night in Fraslund three years previously. She had arranged for a slave girl Natsu to be taken to the Isles onboard a ship with Lady Haname.

'And I don't believe your Majesty has met my youngest daughter either,' said Lady Ilane.

Kel bowed even lower to Thayet. At close range Kel could see why Thayet was called "the Peerless". More beautiful than any lady Kel had ever laid eyes on, she also had a grounded look about her and work canvas practice clothes similar to those worn by pages and riders.

'I hope you'll go easy on me,' the queen said. 'I've only been training with this thing for a year.'

'I have not picked up a glaive for many years,' said Kel, looking back to her mother. She had not even held a glaive since leaving the convent, having spent her time focusing on swordplay.

Wordlessly Ilane handed Kel a weapon that was achingly familiar to the touch. The five-foot-long staff was made of teak, the foot shod with iron. The blade, made of blue rippled steel like Courage was eighteen inches long at the tip and curved. Before Alex had given her Courage it had been the most expensive thing that Kel had ever owned, a present from her mother. It had been left at the convent with all of her other things when she had disappeared.

Kel ran her fingers over the wooden surface, remembering every knot and scratch. Taking a step back from the ladies she swung it experimentally in an arc and let it come to rest comfortably in her hand. It felt, like a lot of things in her life right now, strange and yet familiar at the same time.

Kel performed the only, very basic pattern dance that she could remember. She swung the weapon slowly, gradually becoming re-accustomed to its weight. After a minute she finished and turned to find the women watching her.

'I've been using my sword for too long,' she sighed as a way of explanation.

The ladies paired off; the Princess with her mother-to-be and Lady Haname with Lady Yuki. Ilane handed Kel a wooden practice glaive, weighted to be as realistic as possible. Kel traded her live weapon for it, feeling that although she was confident enough to practise with a live sword blade her glaive work was going to be erratic and slow to begin with.

Her mother began with basic blocks and attacks, correcting Kel wherever she saw fit. When they began a free duel, Ilane was a lot faster than her daughter, although when Kel did block or strike she found herself having to watch her strength.

After forty minutes or so, the exercise wound down and the three Yamani ladies and the Queen ended their practice and waited for Ilane to finish her fight with Kel.

Kel, conceding defeat, leaned on her glaive to catch her breath. 'Definitely out of practice,' she told her mother. Drawing Courage she compared the weight of her sword to her glaive. The glaive was a lot heavier and felt cumbersome in contrast.

'Can I see?' asked Thayet, indicating Courage.

Kel handed over her blade, getting used to people's interest in her extraordinary weapon. Thayet examined the sword and whistled.

'This is as fine as anything the Raven armoury could produce,' she said, handing Courage back to Kel.

'Where did you get this?' asked Ilane.

'It was a gift,' replied Kel simply, sheathing the sword and indicating that the topic was closed for discussion.

As the noblewomen departed Kel was challenged into several more matches with various warriors that were practising on the courts. She accepted them all and won without exception. It was during a bout of these matches that Lord Wyldon spotted her once again.

He was surprised to see Kel still at her training, as he himself had finished his run and gone for breakfast. The veteran warrior watched the girl fight, passion and dedication in her every movement. Wyldon knew that he'd never trained a page that could fight as well as she could, and he wondered if it was her expulsion from page training that had driven her to such prowess, or whether she had intended to become that good all along.

In truth it was neither; Kel's determination to help people, Alex's patient teaching and the situations that she had experienced in Scanra had shaped her fighting. Without her skill she wouldn't have survived the battles that she'd fought.

Ideas and possibilities began to crowd his mind and Wyldon stepped away from the practice court, knowing that he'd be unable to concentrate until he'd reached a decision.

* * *

Kel rapped on the door. As she waited for it to open her stomach rumbled noisily, reminding her that she had missed breakfast. Kel shifted trying to quieten her disgruntled organ. Missing a meal wouldn't do her any harm; she had gone for much longer without eating.

A fresh faced Lalasa opened the door. When she saw who it was her hands flew to her mouth in shock.

'Can I come in?'

'Of course my Lady,' said Lalasa meekily, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Kel sighed; she should've expected the news of her identity to spread across the city. She waited until they were in the room above the shop before saying, 'Lalasa please just call me Kel.'

Lalasa's eyes were wide. 'But it wouldn't be proper, you being a noble lady and all.'

Kel snorted, 'Do I look like a normal noblewoman? What makes you think I want to be treated like a lady?'

'Oh Miss Kel you're too hard on your clothes,' said Lalasa, temporarily distracted by the dire state of Kel's linen shirt. 'You must send things over to me for repairs.'

'I might take you up on that,' replied Kel, examining a hole that had appeared on her elbow and the frayed cuffs.

'And what happened to your lip?'

Kel probed her puffy lip with her tongue and shrugged. 'It's nothing, just a training injury.'

Lalasa looked horrified at the idea of being hit in training. 'You don't mind?'

'We were fighting, training. They landed a few blows on me, I landed a few on them.'

'But my Lady I'd always thought you hated the idea of men hitting women. I heard that you taught Austin a lesson for hitting Jennie Dyer.'

Kel didn't bother to point out that she'd been fighting a woman at the time and said, 'I don't like the men preying on women just because they won't hit back. I asked to be fought so that I can train and improve.'

'It's the way off the world though miss. Men always hit women, even my own brothers…' she trailed off starting to fuss over boiling water to make tea.

'Well they shouldn't,' said Kel grimly. 'One day things will change and women will be free to voice opinions and choose careers without the worry of what the men will say or do.'

Shaking her head at Kel's idealistic view, Lalasa poured tea.

'Where's Tian?' asked Kel.

'She's taking a dress to Lady Adalia,' Lalasa paused.

'Adalia of Mindelan?'

'Yes your sister,' Lalasa said quietly, remembering who Kel really was.

'Lalasa please don't start treating me differently. I need friends, friends who take me for me and not the position into which I was born.'

Nodding mutely Lalasa sipped her tea.

'Have you been allowed to take commissions yet?'

'No,' sighed the older woman. 'Mistress Sewell thinks I'm good for naught but hemming seams and embroidering chemises.'

Kel paused between mouthfuls of the hot tea. 'What you need,' she said thinking aloud, 'Is an opportunity to show just what you can make.'

'Materials cost money…Kel.'

They lapsed into silence.

'What if I commissioned a dress? Then when Mistress Sewell sees the quality of your work, she'll be sure to let you do more.'

'Oh milady you shouldn't bother yourself-'

'It's Kel,' she said firmly. 'How much would material cost?'

'I can't ask-'

'How much?'

'Maybe 10 silvers for the bulk of material, another 3 for threads…'

'I'll give you two gold nobles,' said Kel. 'That ought to cover it all.'

Lalasa's eyes bulged as Kel handed over the two coins. It was more money than she'd made in a lifetime.

'Take it,' Kel's tone booked no argument. 'Make whatever you want with the materials and keep the rest for your troubles. Just, nothing with too many ruffles,' said Kel, thinking of some of court's more ridiculous fashions.

'It'll be perfect,' said Lalasa, still ogling the fortune in her hands.

'I don't doubt it.'

* * *

'Your Majesty,' Wyldon bowed briefly. 'We need to discuss Keladry of Mindelan.'

The King rubbed his forehead distractedly.

'I had been giving her some thought.'

'I was wrong,' said Lord Wyldon heavily. 'I let my prejudices cloud my judgement. That girl had every right to become a knight.'

His posture seemed to slump.

'We've discussed this before,' the King reminded the man gently. 'When you resigned you made your feelings clear.'

'But at the time we couldn't do anything about it,' Lord Wyldon pointed out. 'We all thought she was dead. Now she is very much alive and beating every soldier, Shang or other warrior that is fool enough to challenge her on the practice courts. I've just seen her. Mithros curse it! She was up at the crack of dawn training whereas you can barely get the pages up in time for breakfast! She saved Lucie, sacrificing herself…'

'And what do you suggest we do?' asked the King, leaning back in his chair and hoping that the other man had answers that he himself didn't.

'Offer her a second chance.'

* * *

'Collected your pony I see,' commented Dom, leaning over the stable door.

'Mm,' said Kel, completing her grooming of Prince with a final vigorous sweep of the dandy brush.

'Fancy a walk?'

'Just let me finish here,' said Kel stepping outside the stable to refill a bucket with water.

When she'd finished Kel dunked her hands in a water trough to wash the dust off and then shook them dry, sprinkling droplets all over Dom.

'Hey!'

Kel smiled sweetly and danced out of the way as Dom lunged for her.

'You'll have to be faster than that!' she laughed.

Dom raised his eyebrows and then leapt forward. Kel, still laughing began to run. He chased her across the stable courtyard and out of the back of the collection of storehouses and grain towers. Kel nimbly trod a path that ran alongside the paddock where several horses grazed peacefully. She disappeared briefly as she ducked inside a small coppice wood, but quickly became visible as a white shirt amongst the greens and browns of the forest.

With a burst of speed Dom began to gain on Kel. His thigh muscles were burning with the effort but Dom had learnt to push himself beyond the discomfort.

The trees thinned leaving the pair on a small grassy slope that led down to a cool pond encompassed by reeds.

Kel slowed momentarily, realising she was trapped. At the bottom of the bank she spun around to face him. Dom smiled wickedly, a plan formulating in his mind. He stepped towards Kel who eyed him warily, her face flushed from running.

'I apologise,' she said meekly, not liking the feel of the expanse of water at her back.

'Hmm' Dom replied. 'You'll have to find a way to make it up to me.'

Kel stepped forward, brushing her hands past his before settling them at the base of Dom's neck. She stood on tiptoe and gently touched their lips in a lingering kiss.

'As lovely as that was,' replied Dom when they broke apart for air. 'I still think…'

In one smooth motion he swept Kel into his arms and leapt into the lake. Kel squealed as they hit the water and clutched at Dom's arms.

'…that revenge is better.'

'Now we're both all wet,' pointed out Kel crossly.

'But it was such a hot day,' reasoned Dom innocently.

Kel half paddled, half waded her way to the pond and hauled herself through the weeds up onto the hard bank. She rung out her hair over one shoulder. Realising that Dom hadn't followed her out of the pool she spun around.

'Well are you coming?'

'In a minute, I'm just admiring the view,' Dom smirked.

Kel followed his gaze and looked down to the very tight clingy wet shirt and breeches that she was wearing. Flushing red she swore under her breath in Scanran.

Five minutes later they were settled on the bank, Kel resting her head on Dom's shoulder and waiting for their clothes to dry out.

'It's nice to be alone,' remarked Dom, looking down at the unusually peaceful face of the woman who had captured his heart.

'Well next time just ask me,' Kel mumbled into his shirt, 'Instead of throwing us both into a pond!'

* * *

'You've all been summoned here today-' King Jonathon was interrupted as the doors burst open to reveal Alanna the Lioness. She took her seat on the King's right hand side, scowling openly at some members of the group.

'My Lord surely the bias of Lady Alanna is known,' started Rothard of Blue Harbour.

'I am the King's Champion,' Alanna cut across him. 'I have the right to attend this council whatever the subject matter.'

The Earl was about to argue when the King stood up, surveying the council before him through sapphire blue eyes.

His long standing friend Gary sat on the other side of Thayet, ink already staining his fingers as he sorted through documents. There were the usual crowd of important noble councillors; the Palace's chief healer Duke Baird, Duke Turomot the Lord Magistrate, Sir Myles of Olau his spymaster, the current training master Padraig haMinch and various magical and religious advisors.

Today however the council chamber was fuller than ever. Lord Raoul, representing the King's Own was usually out actively serving the King's justice and did not normally use his privilege to attend such meetings. Buriram Tourakoum was much the same, but representing the Queen's riders. Daine the Wildmage sat next to her husband Numair Salmalin. Both of these mages had been granted seats on the council in recognition of the unique valuable insights that they could provide, not that either mage regularly exercised that right, both preferring to tinker with their magic than argue with conservative noblemen who treated them with disdain.

'This meeting has been called to discuss the matter of Keladry of Mindelan. It is common knowledge that Keladry was put on a probationary year-' Jon paused, almost expecting Alanna to interrupt and argue. It had been one of the reasons why he'd not invited Alanna to attend in the first place. Hoping she could maintain this newfound control, the King continued.

'At the end of said year Lord Wyldon saw fit to exclude her from the training. She has unexpectedly returned as a formidable swordswoman.'

'And why is this a matter to discuss?' drawled a conservative with a sneer. 'So the wench learned to fight, I hardly see-'

'You will mind your opinions Lord Eddinan,' warned Queen Thayet.

'It is a matter to discuss because we cannot afford such a warrior to be running around separate from the crown,' Gary said clearly. He looked up from his writing to the expectant faces of the council. 'It will do our warriors no favours at all if a teenage girl can beat them in combat. Unfortunately, as a noble Keladry would have the right to enter whatever tournament she wished to. She could travel the length and breadth of this country undermining the respect that the fighting forces have generated these last few decades.'

'It is true,' Sir Sacherell of Wellam spoke in turn. 'Our knights, though not expected to be unbeatable have to have a certain reputation; a reputation for being the elite warriors upon which our realm was founded. It is common knowledge that Keladry tried for her shield. Would it not make a mockery of our system if the best warriors were failed knights?'

'We are not talking about warriors in the plural,' snapped Eddinan. 'We are talking about one fifteen year old, girl,' he said this last word distastefully.

'But you see the problem?' asked the King.

'My sources in the city only confirm this. Keladry has risen to somewhat of a hero status, especially in the Lower city where I gather she has been staying. People are mocking the knights' status.' Added Sir Myles, his eyes twinkling madly. Alanna smiled, suddenly seeing what he was trying to do.

'It seems that we need to get Keladry to represent the crown also,' said Duke Baird mildly. 'To suffer defeat at the hands of a warrior trained by the crown shames the knight less.'

'It would also lessen her status in the eyes of the commoners. She'd be up here at the palace or out with our fighting forces and not making friends in the Lower city. The people will only see her noble blood and their support will cease,' pointed out Buri.

'This brings us to the next question; with which force shall she be stationed?'

'The Queen's Riders are the only force admitting women, stick her there,' Rothard said dismissively.

'She is fifteen; a year too young to join the Riders,' Buri said swiftly.

'Make an exception,' Rothard growled.

'The Riders could take her _next year_,' mused Thayet. 'But I fear such talent would be wasted.'

'Similarly the King's Own has an acceptance age of sixteen or older,' said Raoul, speaking for the first time.

Lord Wyldon rose in his chair. 'Four years ago I told Keladry that she could not return to page training. This decision was based not upon the quality of her skill, but upon old prejudices. Keladry not only kept up with the boys in their training, but she excelled. I suspect it is her determination to succeed that allowed her to become such a talented fencer. I will freely admit now that I made a terrible mistake, one which has cost Keladry and her family dearly. I now propose that she is allowed a second chance for her shield.'

Silence followed this announcement.

'Why the sudden change of opinion Wyldon?' asked Eddinan suspiciously.

'I expressed my opinion to his Majesty three and a half years ago after I witnessed Keladry sacrificing herself to save my daughter. She demonstrated the morals and standards that should dictate the Knight's way of life. She has already proven to be a fine warrior, one that would be an asset to this country in the troubled times that we face.'

'But if we allow Keladry a second chance who is to stop all pages that are requested to leave from campaigning for a second shot at their shield?' asked Duke Turomot. 'Can we really make an exception for this girl?'

'These are exceptional circumstances,' pointed out Lord Wyldon. 'It is rare for a page to leave and even rarer for them to do it against their will. Most who fail at their training leave of their own accord and are therefore unlikely to pose a problem.'

There was another pause in the debate.

'Come now,' said the King, 'surely you must all have your own opinions.'

'My view is known,' snapped a young, arrogant looking knight. 'We shouldn't make exceptions for one jumped up merchant's daughter. It will make this entire council look foolish. What happens if this girl fouls us up in the field? Then who will shoulder the blame?

Alanna looked ready to leap up and shake the man until he saw sense, so Numair cut in hurriedly.

'Keladry has my, our full support,' said Numair, his hand entwined with Daine's. 'As Lord Wyldon has already said, she would be an asset to this country. Her name would become known across the borders as a fearsome Tortallan warrior.'

'I have already made my feelings clear on this subject Jon,' said Alanna bluntly. 'What happened to Keladry; her probationary year and being forced to leave, was unjust. She has the right to try for her shield just as we all did.'

'Padraig, what do you think of the proposal, to let Keladry try for her shield again?' Jon addressed the dignified man.

Alanna froze, sitting so still in her seat so that every fibre of her attention was on the training master. If he refused to let Kel try for her shield then there would be little that Jon could do…

'She would be a very old page…' mused Padraig haMinch.

'No older than my son was when he started,' Duke Baird interjected.

'I have no objections to Keladry trying for her shield, given her skill at swordplay, her noble birth and the recommendation from Lord Wyldon about her chivalry.' He sighed, 'My problem lies in her training.'

'But as Lord Wyldon told you,' said Alanna outraged, 'she kept up with the boys, beat them even! How can you say-'

'_If _you will let me finish,' said the training master, 'then I will explain myself.' He cleared his throat. 'She is in a unique position in that she has already completed a year of page training. It is likely that she retains most of the knowledge and therefore need not repeat that year. Another, more important factor to consider is her proficiency with the sword.'

'Plenty of pages start out knowing swordplay. They are taught it by their father's men at arms,' interrupted Sir Teithan.

'I doubt we've ever seen a page enter training with the ability to win the King's tournament,' said Padraig drily. 'There is nothing that I, as the training master could realistically teach her about swordplay. I have no doubt that she could best me easily, best any of us, with a few exceptions of course,' at this he looked at Alanna.

'So she can skip the swordplay lessons,' said Alanna impatiently.

'We also need to consider the possibility that the sword is not the only weapon that she's been training with.'

'Then we need to test her,' said Duke Turomot, 'assess her competence in the areas covered by page training.'

'And once she's been assessed we can decide where she can resume her training,' finished the King.

'This is lunacy?' cried a Eddinan. 'You will make fools of us all.'

'This is all shaping up very nicely,' said Thayet, ignoring the thoroughly unpleasant man. 'But what happens if she is proficient in all but one area, say for example etiquette. Are we to hold her back a year because she bows incorrectly?'

There was a pause for thought.

'Why don't we assess her in September just before the pages resume their training? This will allow Keladry just under two months to identify her weak areas and recap her year of page training.' Suggested Lord Wyldon, plans for Kel's training already swirling in his head.

'Are there any objections to this? Padraig will you agree to take on Kel's training once she's been assessed in September?'

'I do, your Majesty.'

'Would anyone else like a say on the matter?'

There was a scrape of chair on stone and a withered priestess stood up. 'Whether she knows it or not, one so gifted so young has the Goddess walking alongside her. This decision is met with approval by the Great Mother.'

'Very well, would someone send for Keladry.'

* * *

Hand in hand with Dom and still slightly damp Kel made her way back to her rooms feeling cheerful from such a relaxing afternoon. Dom had the ability to make her set aside her anxieties for things that she had no control over.

In the corridor ahead there was a palace messenger knocking on the door to her rooms.

'Can I help you?' asked Kel, sliding her hand from Dom's.

'The King requests your immediate presence in the council room.'

By the time Kel arrived in the chamber, her stomach a knot of nerves and suddenly very conscious of her pond-stained clothes, the majority of the council had left, leaving only their Majesties, the training master, Lord Wyldon and Lord Raoul.

'Come in Keladry.' The King welcomed her as though nothing had happened between them, as though Kel had not publicly defied him.

'We have been giving thought to your position,' Kel nodded, scrunching up her toes but standing her ground.

'We would like to offer you the chance to try for your shield.'

Kel's jaw dropped and she hurriedly closed it, her mind reeling in shock. Never, ever had Kel thought that they would offer her a second chance. It had always been about making them listen, showing what she could do so that she could help others. It had never occurred to her that in proving them wrong they would change their decision. Something very strange was going on here…

The King was speaking but Kel wasn't absorbing the information, her brain swamped by the sudden boggling possibility that she could become a knight. And with this realisation came terrible dilemmas. The Kel that had left the palace four years ago would've agreed without a second thought. But this Kel, the one that had met Alex, been enslaved, witnessed the slaughter in Scanra, vowed to help Alex ascend the thrown, this Kel wasn't sure what to answer.

* * *

**-a/n-** Did you see that coming? Or was it a complete surprise? Did you like the Dom fluff I threw in as a Christmas present?

As always I'd love to hear from you!

May you have a simply WONDERFUL Christmas!

**Confusedknight xx**


	54. A decision

**-a/n-** Thanks to everyone who pointed out that Fassin is the Shang Jackal, not Hawk. My tired brain combined his Shang title and his tribe! At some point, I vow to go back and delete all these stupid little mistakes…when I have time…which will likely be once I've finished actually writing Fallen. Which, I'm afraid to say, will not be for some time yet.

Thanks as always for your support! I hope you continue to enjoy…

**Confusedknight xx**

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* * *

  
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Every eye was staring expectantly at Kel, perhaps waiting for her to start eagerly thanking the King. Kel remained motionless, frozen in place by the tumult of thoughts overloading her brain.

'Well?' prompted Lord Wyldon, his sensible brown eyes boring into Kel's skull.

'Your Majesties…' Kel started. Regaining her trail of thought she continued, 'and my Lords. I thank you for the offer, but I cannot make such a decision without time to consider. May I return to you in the morning with my answer?'

Barely concealed shock flew across the nobles' faces.

'Very well Keladry, it was foolish of us not to expect you to consult your parents on the matter.'

'Mmm' Kel agreed distractedly, although her parents were the least of her worries; after all she had enough gold to outfit a knight and cover other expenses.

Kel bowed low with her palms flat on her thighs, before exiting without another word.

'I don't think she was expecting that,' said Thayet, mildly amused.

* * *

Kel blundered from the council room, a strange buzzing in her ears that seemed to obstruct all other sound. Stumbling away down the corridor Kel stepped through a door that lead out into the palace grounds. She crossed a bright, sunny courtyard and ended up on a path that twisted and wound its way to the nobles' stables.

Kel pulled back the stiff, rusty bolt on the stable door and ducked into the dim interior. Pushing the door to, Kel stepped forward and pressed her face into Prince's shoulder. Inhaling the familiar scent calmed Kel somewhat.

They had offered her a chance to live her dream and become the second lady knight of Tortall. She was surprised that the council had even considered it; she certainly hadn't foreseen this complication.

Kel wasn't naïve enough to believe that they had offered her the chance out of guilt. She had shown up some of the Realm's finest soldiers, evidently this unnerved some of the high-ranking nobles. Through her confusing, swirling thoughts this fact pleased her. She hated the superiority that many powerful people displayed.

Kel sniffed and laid her cheek flat against Prince's smooth chestnut coat. How could she even begin to make a decision?

Currently two instincts presented themselves; firstly her desire to become a knight, to fulfil her dream; a selfish impulse but a strong one nonetheless. Secondly was the wish to simply throw their offer back in their faces, to defy their plans to put her on a leash. This was sorely tempting, but it too was based on a selfish desire to insult them in revenge for her suffering.

The only thing that _was_ clear to Kel was that whatever choice she made it must be for the greater good. Her duty was to serve and protect the people above all else, to ensure Alex's ascent to the throne so that the Chamber's terrible vision never came to pass.

Her loyalty to Alex, the man who had trained her, believed in her, was stronger than to anyone in Tortall. How could she swear fealty towards King Jonathan?

And yet Alex had sent her back with the purpose of proving herself worthy and enlisting Tortallan help in his campaign. The Tortallans would not trust her if she revealed herself to be allied to a rival nation.

One thought that crossed her mind was to explain about Alex and his plans to the King. After a moment's consideration Kel dismissed the idea as ridiculous. She had no idea that Alex was even still alive, or how much the King had been informed about the state of affairs in Scanra. If she suddenly came forward with new information then there would be a lot of awkward questions to be answered, not to mention that she probably wouldn't be trusted. Jonathan would never risk Tortallan soldiers based upon her word.

Besides, he might not even care whether Maggur took the throne. Kings were not bound to act by what was morally right, but rather what was good for the people over which they ruled. He was duty bound to protect the Tortallans only, not the Scanran civilians.

She could talk to George of Pirate's Swoop; he knew who Alex was…but that would still bring up awkward questions, and the spymaster was allied to the King. He would tell Jonathan anyway.

Another consideration was the risk of Maggur having spies in the Palace. There was no guarantee that she wouldn't expose Alex if she told anyone about him and the silent campaign in the north. No, Alex would have to remain a secret.

If Kel agreed to their proposal then she was assenting to spend four, five, six or seven more years training. She didn't have that sort of time; Alex didn't have that sort of time. Kel estimated that it would take Maggur no more than two years to unite the massive country and turn his war machine on Tortall. When the war came Kel couldn't be sitting in the Palace learning etiquette, or waiting on fat noblemen at feasts.

However, if she refused the offer then she could only succeed in insulting the King and all the other people who had agreed to offer her the second chance. She could beat all the warriors she wanted through duels at tournaments and challenges but that brought her no closer to amassing the reputation and responsibility that could help to one day convince the King to support Alex.

Groaning at the conundrum, Kel ran her hands through her hair, fighting the urge to scream.

'Keladry?' A familiar voice rang out across the still evening air.

Kel stepped out of the stable slowly, revealing her whereabouts to Lord Wyldon.

'Walk with me for a while?' he asked coolly. Kel fell into step beside the older man.

'I was curious as to your reaction,' he said without delay. 'This is what you wanted is it not?'

'I want to help people.' Said Kel, slightly hoarsely. 'I want to protect those who can't defend themselves. I want to give a voice to those who are considered insignificant. I want to help those who are trying, fighting to make a difference in a world that's set against them.'

'Well isn't that almost a definition of a Knight's duty?' asked Lord Wyldon.

'It is, and that's why I've always wanted to be a Knight. Now though, I've been out in the world. I've seen horrific things. I've seen wonderful things. I've seen things that need to change, that must change. I'm not sure if I can spend three years in the Palace doing nothing, just so that _I_ can have the honour of Knighthood. Why can't someone who's not a knight carry out the same tasks?' Kel didn't know why she was presenting her problem to the very man who had indirectly caused her so much suffering.

'You're worried that knighthood is but a selfish indulgence?' Lord Wyldon's voice verged on the incredulous. Kel said nothing.

'There is a reason knight training is long and hard. In reality it doesn't forge unbeatable warriors, but it does make them tough, versatile and honour-bound. One of the most important things about a knight is their title. People are comforted when they know that knights have been sent to hunt off the bandits that have been preying on them. Whether the knight treats them pleasantly or not, they trust him to protect them and their families. Soldiers who have joined the army simply to earn coin are emboldened by the sight of knights on the battlefield. It is one of the reasons why Tortall has survived as well as it has done. Tortallan knights are respected, feared even. This helps to prevent rebellion amongst our own civilians as well as wars from abroad.'

'So if knights are so important, why not have more of them?'

'It's partly their elitism that sets them apart,' mused Lord Wyldon. 'But the real reason is that there are many noble children who can't afford training, or do not wish to become so bound to the Crown. If you join an army then you may leave when you desire, but a knight is always, always bound to answer the call of those in distress. A knight can never stop being a knight, although in times of peace they can settle down and raise families. Years ago, however a knight would remain active all of his life, unless he survived to retire.'

'Then it's all just to gain a reputation?' Kel struggled to comprehend this new way of looking at the famed warriors that she'd idolised for half of her life.

'The reputation plays a large role, you'd be stupid to argue otherwise, but that reputation still has to be earned. Men like Lord Raoul, your elder brothers; they are all part of a group of warriors who are sworn to protect the realm. Some interpret this allegiance as to the physical boundaries of our Kingdom and fight off invaders. Some recognise the King and Queen as being the 'realm' and serve their wishes all of their days. _Some_ consider the true realm to be its people, the common everyday people that walk through our lives.' They fell into silence, Kel's brain working madly. If she hadn't been so preoccupied she would have realised that it was the most she'd ever heard Lord Wyldon say in one go.

'And what if you didn't have to spend three more years as a page? The agreement was to start you at a level that was appropriate. If you are willing to work hard I'm sure I can get you to the standard of a fourth year page by the end of the summer.'

Kel raised her delicate brows, looking up at the usually taciturn man.

'Pardon my rudeness my Lord, but why are you so eager for me to resume my training?'

She felt it was unnecessary to add on '_As you were the one who threw me out.' _

'I saw what you did for my daughter…' said Lord Wyldon, his usually gruff voice full of emotion. 'You sacrificed yourself with a selflessness few possess. You are worthy to become a full-blooded knight. I owe you Lucie's life, my sweet youngest daughter's _life_ and on my honour I will repay that debt by helping you achieve the shield you deserve.'

'So if I pass these…tests then I will be allowed to become a squire?'

'Legally yes, and then you'd spend four years as a squire serving the realm, fighting for the people of Tortall.'

Their path had looped back to the stables.

'One knight can make a big difference Mindelan..' He bowed and turned to leave. After one step he turned back. 'I sent a letter to Lucie yesterday. I expect she'll be here within the week.'

He left, leaving Kel's thoughts even more muddled than before.

* * *

Kel rolled over on a bed that was far too luxurious. Hot and bothered, Kel threw back the embroidered cover and stepped out of bed. She padded over to the window and pushed it wide open, not caring about any bugs that she might let in. The stifling heat was suffocating her.

Clambering up onto the window ledge like a small child, Kel perched herself in the frame, her knees bent up and her head back against the cool wood.

She had spent the evening feverishly pacing Prince's stable and then returned to her rooms, only lie in bed for a few hours, tossing and fidgeting.

She was trying to weigh up every possible reason for and against her knighthood. She could always start her training; it wasn't legally binding until she swore fealty to Jonathan…

Perhaps the hardest thing for Kel to accept was that Alex could succeed without her direct help. If he managed to survive the next few years, then what he'd need was someone he could trust on the frontline, someone who had the power to command Tortallan forces. If Kel did become a Knight, then she might be able to persuade them to help Alex when the time came.

If she ran back right now, not only was there no guarantee that she'd find Alex anytime soon, but she would have gained nothing from the last year. For about the thousandth time she wished that she could talk to Alex, just for five minutes, to confirm that he still lived and obey whichever order he gave.

'Why can't you guide me?' Kel whispered aloud. 'Someone _help_ me.'

The heavens remained as silent as they ever were. As always in life it was left for Kel to use her own judgement on the matter.

Kel tried to drag her aching mind back to her last few moments with Alex. What would he want? What did he need?

"_I've lost all my family and now Rhonda. I __can't__ lose you too." _He wanted her to be safe. Well, safe from Maggur and his armies anyway.

"_I need someone over there too; someone who I know __understands__ what is at stake."_ Kel knew all too well what was occurring, how the freedom of millions rested upon Alex's shoulders. He wanted her to remain in Tortall, amongst the people who had power.

"_You go and show them what you can do Keladry of Mindelan, you make them listen."_

And it was then that the decision was made. Although Kel knew that she'd agonize over it for the rest of the night, and quite probably the weeks to come, she was going to train longer and harder than ever before so that in the autumn she would ride out as a squire.

It was the best she could decide at the present time. She would train, she would serve the people of the realm and she would serve King Jonathan. It seemed ironic that the only foreseeable way to help Alex ascend to the throne was to swear allegiance to another King.

And i_f _there came a time when she'd have to choose between Alex and Tortall, well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

* * *

Having not slept a wink, Kel rose before the sun and started a vigorous jog. She liked early mornings; few people were about to stare and judge her. It was peaceful.

Sweat trickled off of her forehead and the exercise made her muscles ache, reminding her that eating nothing the day before had been a bad idea.

When Kel returned to the training ground feeling disgustingly sweaty, but satisfied at the exercise, she was surprised to find Lord Wyldon talking to Eda Bell.

Kel unsheathed Courage and stretched her arm muscles. Her legs were limber from the run so she moved straight onto the twisting and jumping exercises that Alex always had her perform, finishing with a neat flip to land on her feet, ready to fight.

Both the Shang and the nobleman made their way towards Kel.

'I'll do it,' said Kel firmly, before she could let any doubt enter her tone of voice.

Lord Wyldon said nothing, but gave a curt nod of the head. Not expecting thanks or praise, Kel waited.

'I've asked Eda to oversee your hand-to-hand combat, which she assures me is acceptable at the very least.'

Kel didn't protest that he'd asked Eda even before she had given him her answer. _God's curse it, he knew I'd do it all along. _

'Your swordplay I assume is beyond that expected for even knights?'

'See for yourself,' said Eda with a slight smirk, curling the corners of her lips.

'Keladry?' Kel shrugged in agreement.

They moved back, away from Eda and began to duel. Lord Wyldon, as Kel expected him to be, was a strong, sensible fencer. He didn't waste his time on moves that he hadn't perfected. He used strong blocks and equally strong, efficient attacks. In a battle situation he would be a feasible opponent, for due to their surroundings fights on a battle field rarely lasted more than a minute. However, he was not dedicated to learning every intricate move to perfection, like Kel was. Within four minutes his long sword had flown away across the court, and Courage, yet again, was victorious.

'It is as I thought. There is nothing more that I can teach you. We will not waste your training time on swordplay; you can do that on your own.'

'So what must I do?' asked Kel quietly.

* * *

A few hours later Kel had been thoroughly beaten by a short Yamani man with a wooden staff and bruises peppered her body. She also wore a harness with several kilos of lead weights that weighed her down.

Currently Lord Wyldon was putting her through her paces on Prince, assessing her horsemanship and her ability to check for lameness, sores or other ailments.

'Must you always have such big horses?' Lord Wyldon had muttered darkly when Kel had led all of Prince's seventeen hands from his stable.

Nevertheless, giant or not, she and Prince had an understanding. They worked as a true partnership, Prince perceptive to when he had to turn or jump poles. Lord Wyldon took a practice sword and made Kel fight him from horseback.

Alex had trained her in this too, and although it was awkward she blocked Lord Wyldon without hurting Prince. Prince, who was evidently fed up of a man constantly trying to smack him with a wooden sword, reared, and came down safely. This put an end to the practice, with Lord Wyldon satisfied that they could defend themselves on horseback.

However from here, the training only got worse. Kel was handed a lance which felt heavy and cumbersome in her hand. She tried to remember how natural this had once felt and was rewarded with buffets from the sand bag on every single attempt.

Prince shied and danced away. Jousting was not something that was practised in Scanra. The warriors tended to be either axemen or swordsmen, with a smaller number of archers. Prince wasn't used to being asked to charge down a lane so that Kel could aim at a dummy shield with a large stick.

Kel finished the exercise frustrated. Lord Wyldon didn't seem bothered by her lack of expertise.

'We'll work on it Mindelan,' he said simply.

For the rest of the morning Kel practised on the archery range. Her shooting with a recurve bow, similar to the one she'd used whilst hunting in the desert was passable. Her accuracy with both longbow and crossbow, dire. The arrows thudded all over the large target, many of them missing it all together, with no apparent consistency.

'Raise your elbow Mindelan,' Wyldon growled. 'Hold your arm steady and _then_ release.'

The barely healed wound on Kel's right arm throbbed as the scab pulled. Exhaling slowly, she looked up at the target with a fresh calm and loosed her last arrow. It thudded into the target frame. Sighing, Kel collected the arrows and returned them to their barrel in the corner of the range.

'That's enough for this morning,' said Wyldon. 'I've got an idea about what you need to improve. At two bells past midday go and visit Master Prithen who has agreed to assess your academic work.'

Kel bowed and left, her jogging made twice as hard by the harness that weighed her lithe frame down.

* * *

Kel ate far more at lunch than she'd intended to, suddenly realising how ravenously hungry she was. The meaty casserole was rich and tender and slid easily into her empty stomach.

A shadow fell across her plate and Kel glanced up.

'I wanted to say good luck to you my Lady,' it was gloomy-faced Gower; the footman who'd served Kel when she was a page. 'There are a lot of us amongst the servants that want you to succeed, Salma especially. And my niece speaks very highly of you.'

'Your niece?'

'Lalasa Isran my lady.'

'I didn't know that Lalasa was your niece,' said Kel surprised.

'Aye, she's my sister's daughter, the only one of that family left alive after raiders gutted their village.'

Kel wasn't sure what to say.

'She told me how you saved her,' Gower said in his voice that sounded like he was reading at a funeral. 'You treat us commoners well miss, and there's a lot that won't forget that.' He bowed and left Kel to her thoughts and lunch.

* * *

Prithen was a young, eager-faced Mithran priest, who was to take up a teaching position at the Palace in September. He had agreed to help Kel to gain experience.

Pages were expected to be able to read and write fluently, something which Kel could do easily in not one, but three languages. She recited Tortallan poetry, showed the man the correct way to address a letter and commented on a piece of prose.

'We test the pages by giving them a piece of writing and ask them to read aloud and comment on it,' he told Kel. 'It's not hard but you're expected to be able to compare it with another piece of literature studied. Every day I'll give you something to study which we can discuss the following day.'

The priest was also to teach Kel mathematics; a subject that Kel enjoyed far more. Since working as a clerk, Kel was able to utilise even the most complex of algebraic formulas to calculate supplies. What she wasn't adept at was the use of trigonometry to analyse catapult projectiles or such like. She was handed a large number of problems to complete for the following day.

Master Oakbridge, the Etiquette teacher for the pages came bustling into the room. 'I have discussed this area of your training with my Lord and we both agree that certain areas are unnecessary for you to study. Learning how to court a lady, or lead dances are irrelevant. We do not test the pages on their serving skills…' He checked off his mental list on his fingers. 'This leaves you to learn the basic etiquette of our neighbouring countries.' He banged a large book down onto the desk. 'Learn this.'

Kel wanted to bury her face in despair.

* * *

Kel ate early and deciding that there was no point wasting the lovely evening, went straight back outside. She saddled Prince and charged him down the tilting lane again and again until his chestnut sides were dark with sweat. The only reward for her hard work was a single run where she got past the quintain without a demeaning blow from the sandbag.

Her arm aching from the weight of the lance, Kel rubbed Prince dry and set him onto pasture where he could graze for the night.

It was still light, the air alive with humming midges and burring crickets, so Kel returned to the archery range and shot arrow after arrow.

'I thought I might find you here,' said an amused voice, looking down the range to the spattering of arrows that covered both target and wall behind it. 'Having a fun day?' he inquired innocently.

Kel scowled at Dom's cheerful expression and turned to shoot another arrow into the outer ring of the target. As Kel selected her next arrow, Dom stepped up behind her.

'Move your wrist,' he murmured, his breath soft on her cheek as his warm fingers rearranged Kel's hand position on the longbow. 'Then bring this arm up and the other down so that it's more horizontal. Now look down your arm to the target.' Kel did as she was told. 'Pull back,' again Kel obeyed, bending the taut cord backward. 'And release.'

The arrow flew much truer, landing closer to the centre of the target than her previous shots had been doing.

'Much better,' whispered Dom, not moving from his position behind Kel.

Aware of just how close they were, Kel turned carefully and lifted her face up to meet his eyes. Dom's arms slid around her waist and pulled her so that they were touching.

'Do you treat all of your trainees like this?' Kel asked, one eyebrow raised.

'Only the really good ones,' Dom muttered impishly as he bent to kiss Kel.

Against her wishes, Kel broke the kiss quickly and wiggled out of Dom's hold. She couldn't let Dom distract her from her training.

She slotted another arrow to her bowstring and Dom sighed, taking a seat on the fence. They stayed this way until the sun's disappearance made it impossible to see the target.

Dom was a good teacher and Kel wished that he could take her archery lessons instead of the grim-faced Lord Wyldon.

Once back in her room Kel set about the written work that she'd been neglecting all evening. To her dismay, the mathematics was a lot more complicated that she'd realised and Kel didn't finish until late into the night. Exhausted in both body and mind, Kel collapsed onto her bed.

* * *

Kel's new timetable was relentless. She rose early for her own run and swordplay practice. By the time this was done, she joined her mother and the other ladies to practise her glaive. Then, there was time to grab a bite or two of breakfast before meeting Lord Wyldon for tilting, archery and staff work. Just before lunchtime Kel fought with Eda Bell, acquiring more bruises with each passing day.

After lunch she struggled through her class with Prithen, commenting on the use of verbs in a poet's text, or some such nonsense. Once she learned the basic rules for the maths, it came easily to Kel, who was now solving problems set to third year pages.

As for etiquette, Kel was making herself read a chapter every night before bed. Fortunately, having living in the Yamani Isles, Kel was able to skip a large chunk of the book, as she already knew the correct greetings for various Imperial warriors.

To Kel's amusement, the Scanran section of the book was remarkably short. It consisted of one page detailing a few Scanran words of greeting and not much else. Evidently the books author didn't think Scanran society was dignified enough to have etiquette!

One new, and interesting addition to her timetable was history. Sir Myles of Olau had requested Kel's presence in his chamber on her second day of training. His subject was the history of Tortall, but unlike Master Prithen, he didn't teach her as he would a whole class of boys. Instead he had asked;

'Do you play chess Keladry?'

'A little,' Kel had replied, remembering the matches she used to play against her father.

'Indulge an old man,' said Myles, gesturing to the marble set laid out upon a mahogany board inlaid with pearl. 'You can learn as we play.'

And so she did. Kel let the old man make the first move.

'What is your view on the monarchy?' he asked, watching Kel move her first pawn.

'I think it's a good thing,' said Kel, sitting back to watch as the knight began to slide his second pawn forwards.

'Always?'

'If you look at Tortall, having a King unites the country. Without him and his Queen, who ran the country would be ambiguous.'

'A council of selected members could,' mused Myles.

'But council's can split. Without a monarchy there is more likely to be civil war.'

'But what about Sarain? They have a King, and yet their country has been at war with the Kmir tribes for years.'

'And that is why their country does not prosper,' said Kel, trying to pre-empt what trap Myles could be laying down for her. 'It's like Scanra. They have fallen behind other countries due to the inability of the clans to unite under one banner.'

'That's an interesting example,' said Myles seemingly off-hand.

Kel's guard went up. This man, Neal had once told her, was the King's Spymaster. She had to be careful what she said around this placid scholar.

'How precisely then, does having a King prevent civil war?' he prompted.

'A council consists of several different members, all of whom are likely to be seeking maximum profit or gain for themselves, be it their clan, tribe or whatever. A good monarch would make decisions that appease the majority of the powerful people in the country. With the powerful people on their side it would deter others from seeking to overthrow them. In Sarain the K'mir protest against the warlord because he persecutes their people and their way of life. They buy mercenaries to control their people; that isn't good leadership.'

'So which is better; a bad king or no king at all?'

All of Myles' lessons took this form, debating, discussing over a game of chess. Kel found herself enthralled in the stories that he told. The old Baron had a knack for making history interesting and Kel found that as she began to understand the history and the battles that had shaped the Kingdom of Tortall and its outlying realms, then the more she understood about people, more about why Alex's campaign was so important.

* * *

When Kel trotted down to the practice court after breakfast one morning, she found three people standing waiting for her. Lord Wyldon and the Shang Wildcat, who was immersed in conversation with a man whom Kel had longed to see these past few months.

'Fassin?' Kel asked, scarcely able to believe that he stood before her.

'Elinah?' he stepped forward and the two embraced like long lost brothers, pounding each other on the back. 'I seem to run into you wherever I go!'

'Kel mentioned that she'd studied with a Shang,' said Eda's dry voice.

Fassin's eyes showed confusion, but he didn't voice his question, evidently thinking that Kel was undercover.

'Yes,' said Kel distractedly. 'I lived with the Bloody Hawk tribe for a while.'

'Mindelan are you ready to start your training or are you too preoccupied with this happy reunion?' Wyldon demanded.

'Please excuse us for just two minutes,' said Fassin, bowing politely and tugging Kel over to the far side of the open space, to where they couldn't be overheard by Eda or Lord Wyldon.

'Fassin, I need to tell you something.' Said Kel, glancing above Fassin's shoulders to where a blackbird fluttered to the ground. 'I am Keladry of Mindelan and I've been offered a chance to continue my knight training.' She said in a rush.

His dark black eyes widened. 'Keladry of Mindelan,' he repeated, slightly incredulously. 'How in the name of Mithros did you fall in with _him?_'

'It's a long story that ended in one of those chance meetings, where your life suddenly veers off in a whole new direction…' said Kel.

'Well never mind then. I've just returned from Fraslund, I was to collect messages for the Shang elders and managed to arrange a meeting with a man called Shem-'

Kel cut across him, urgently, desperately.

'There's been news?'

'He was alive a month ago, escaped Somalkt.'

Kel let out a long shuddering breath, relief washing through her system.

'Thank the Great Mother.' Moments later she asked, 'Were there any instructions?'

Fassin shook his head. 'Nothing other than confirmation that one of Shem's men had briefly met with Alex.'

Kel didn't complain, she was too relieved that Alex was still out there, fighting for what was right.

'I will continue my training then,' she murmured, 'until he contacts me. Speaking of which,' she looked over her shoulder to where Lord Wyldon waited impatiently. 'Come on, I'd better go.'

She hurried back over to Lord Wyldon, Fassin following her.

'Sorry my Lord,' she apologised, wondering what training she was going to do now.

'Shang Jackal will you fight Keladry so I can assess her progress?'

'It would be an honour,' said Fassin. 'Swords, hand-to-hand?'

'Anything,' said Lord Wyldon.

After a short warm-up, the two fighters faced off, swords in hand. Kel leapt forward, bringing Courage to clang down onto his blade. Gracefully she skipped aside and blocked Fassin's sweep, dodging his leg that whipped out to try to knock her off of her feet.

Several intense minutes of fighting followed. Fassin nearly sent Kel flying backwards by a well placed kick, but she blocked with her wrist, letting it absorb the impact instead of her stomach. Grunting in pain, Kel continued to slice and jab faster than ever, soon sending Fassin's sword flying. As she darted in to press her sword to his neck, Fassin flipped backwards avoiding Courage's tip and smashing the sword from Kel's hands with his feet.

Weaponless, Kel leapt forwards and peformed one of the punches that Fassin himself had taught her. Still slightly off balance, Fassin's block was weak and Kel managed to follow it up with a kick to his ribs. In a move that was only possible due to his strength, Fassin wrenched Kel forward by her painful right wrist. Only her reflexes prevented her from flying to the floor. Instead she managed to anchor one leg around Fassin's. With her free left hand Kel pressed the cool blade of her wrist knife to Fassin's neck.

'Gotcha,' she panted.

As they separated, Lord Wyldon scowled disapprovingly at the slim knife that Kel was re-sheathing up her sleeve.

'You did say anything,' Fassin defended his friend.

'So I did,' replied Lord Wyldon, his face unreadable.

* * *

-a/n- Okay. So I really, really wish that I hadn't left it on a cliffhanger as there seem to be literally hundreds of you who wanted Kel to say no. I briefly considered this and then decided to plough on the way that I'd planned it. I hope I've explained the reasons for her decision in this chapter. I just think that Kel, possibly unlike Alanna, or another character, wouldn't take such a momentous decision out of spite or revenge. She puts other people before her own happiness. If it's any consolation, this was the way it's been planned since the beginning and I only hope you trust me with where this is going. I promise everything will be sorted out in the end!

Wishing you all the best for 2009,

**Confusedknight xx**


	55. Acts of Kindness

**-a/n-** Bonjour mes petits pois! It's been too long, non? So much has happened since I've last updated! If you didn't see the note I left on my profile page, the delay was due to exams. Fortunately I've now been offered a place at uni, so that's one less thing to worry about.

Thank you so much for the constant stream of PM's and reviews, encouragement and patience for a student with many demands on her time.

As always, I hope you like this one,

**Confusedknight xxx**

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"_Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."_

_-T.S. Elliot _

Kel eased into consciousness feeling from head to toe the results of her vigorous training regime. Her limbs felt heavier than lead and her muscles throbbed as they pressed down onto the hard chair table. Kel was too tired to even lift her head off of the page of the book acting as her pillow and instead tried to focus her mind on something that wasn't the deep, settled ache in her joints.

Thoughts slid lazily in and out of her mind, Kel discovering that it required too much energy to focus on one thing.

The night had raced past in a blink of an eye, and although it was still dark, Kel could begin to see the first beginnings of the sunrise through the gaps in the drapes at the window.

The mussed hair that had escaped from her plait was itching her neck, but Kel simply couldn't bring herself to lift a hand to brush it away. She closed her eyes, this was folly. The pace of her training alone would kill her, let alone anything that came at her with a lance.

Although it was hard to believe with the constant aching that Kel now suffered, her body condition was improving, adapting to the routine. She could now string larger bows without a problem and shoot for longer periods of time without her arm shaking. She could complete all of her exercises with several discs of lead in her harness and heft a heavier lance than she could have done before.

This morn marked the halfway point of her training. In four weeks time she would be assessed for her prowess in all areas of the curriculum. Kel knew that at these tests she would have to more than prove herself if Lord Wyldon's plan was to work.

The light that fell in a beam across the floor grew stronger, and Kel flicked her eyes down to the page of the open book. She could blurrily make out words. What had she been writing about? Kel cast her mind back and grasped hold of the memory; the structure of Carthaki court. It was little wonder that she had fallen asleep!

Kel thought about what the day held in store for her. She was already missing her morning run, and if she didn't get up soon then she'd miss her training with Eda and Fassin who between them, were teaching Kel everything and anything they could about close combat. Despite the fact that if they fought only with swords Kel could best either of them, there were still a lot of skills that they could teach her. Some of these skills transferred over to staff work, knife work and unarmed combat. It was in Kel's opinion, the most useful lesson, the one most likely to keep her alive in a fight.

Lord Wyldon still coached Kel's jousting sessions, something which she was grateful for. According to Owen of Jesslaw, Lord Wyldon was the Realm's finest jouster and having one-on-one tuition with a man who knew the lance as Alex knew the sword, Kel was progressing at a far greater speed than a group-taught page would do.

Today Kel had at least one thing to look forward to; meeting up with Lucie. The small girl that had kept her sane at the convent had blossomed into a small woman with a bubbly character, whose infectious smile often found its way onto Kel's cheeks.

When she had first arrived, nearly three weeks previously, the reunion between protector and the protected had been awkward. Several hours of talking, hugs and crying later something had been done to re-forge the link between both women. It took a while for Kel to assure Lucie that the Tauros attack was all in the past. This was, for the most part truthful. Whilst it would be an event that stayed with Kel for the rest of her life, her nightmares were so infrequent now that she could deal with them. Besides, there were more urgent, pressing matters to trouble Kel now.

The thought of Alex was what finally made Kel stagger to her feet, wincing at her stiff body. She splashed water onto her face and didn't bother trying to untangle her hair, simply using a long leather thong to tie the straggly bits off her face. Courage was still on her hip from the previous day and all Kel had to do was to pull on her boots and leave the room.

If the Shang warriors, Yamani ladies or Lord Wyldon, noticed Kel's dishevelled appearance, along with the fact that she still wore yesterday's clothes, none of them mentioned it. She made her way quietly through all of her exercises, perhaps letting a few more blows past her defence than normal, but only a couple.

Kel said nothing, not even voicing a complaint at her tiredness. She knew from first hand experience that a soldier needed to be able to fight even after days of battle and little sleep.

After breakfast, she felt a little more energised and took strength from her intrinsic knowledge that she _could_ get through this.

Her tilting was as demanding as ever, and Lord Wyldon was no longer content to simply let Kel aim to pass without a buffet from the sandbag. She was now required to aim for a small black dot on the quintain's shield, a small dot that she couldn't even see from halfway down the tilting lane.

'Come on Prince,' muttered Kel wearily, turning him back to the start of the lane. 'Maybe we'll get it next time.'

'You will always have the strength and courage.' Kel repeated the inscription from her sword, over and over, her lips forming the scanran syllables quietly.

They charged at the quintain once more.

* * *

'So where are we going?' asked Lucie, tucking a strand of fair hair behind her ear.

'To meet some friends of mine,' replied Kel.

She had been meaning to introduce Lalasa and Tian to Lucie for weeks, but simply hadn't gotten round to it.

They stepped into the welcome shade of the seamstresses' shop and Lucie folded up her parasol delicately.

'Is Lalasa here?'

'Out back,' mumbled one of the assistants through a mouthful of pins. Kel and Lucie ascended the stairs to the first floor.

'Lady Kel,' Lalasa rose to her feet, Tian following close behind.

Kel glared and Lalasa amended weakly, 'Kel.'

'This is my friend Lucie –Lalasa what happened?' Kel caught sight of the red, hand-shaped mark on the left side of Lalasa's face.

'Nothing miss,' said Lalasa in such a docile manner that Kel's temper was riled even more. She turned to Tian, looking for answers.

'Mistress Selwyn found out that Lalasa had taken a commission from you, she was angry and said that Lalasa shouldn't be using her business to get customers of her own. She took some of the money that you paid Lalasa.'

Without saying a word Kel strode out of the room and springing lightly down the stairs two at a time, she drew herself up to all of her one hundred and seventy centimetres.

'Mistress Selwyn, I'd like a word,' Kel's voice rang out across the relative quiet of the shop. A lady who was having measurements taken scowled openly at Kel.

The shop owner looked up from her design sketching and rose elegantly, gliding over to where Kel stood. She looked Kel up and down.

'I demand that you repay Lalasa the money that I gave her,' Kel stated simply, not beating about the bush, her forming headache making her irritable. 'I am not a customer of yours; it was a private commission between friends, one which you have no right of gaining profit from.'

'Actually, my lady,' said the shop keeper all too graciously. 'I think you'll find that as Miss Isran's employer, I have a right to a percentage of whatever she may earn.'

'You forfeited any right you had the moment you laid a hand upon her,' said Kel, her voice dangerously quiet. 'I demand that you repay her the money you took.'

'My Lady with all due respect, whatever Lalasa Isran has been telling you, I don't see how it is any of your business what goes on in my shop.'

'I will make it my business to know when someone hurts a friend,' said Kel, not taking her burning hazel eyes off of Mistress Selwyn's. 'I am Lady Keladry of Mindelan, I have four sisters and many Yamani contacts. If I make it known to them that this shop is of poor quality and they make it known to their friends…'

'And I am Lady Lucie of Cavall,' piped up a demur voice behind Kel. 'My family too has many contacts at court, and I with the young ladies at court. Were I to insinuate certain things about this shop, your business could suffer greatly.'

Mistress Selwyn looked as though she'd just been forced to eat something terribly unpleasant.

'Very well, I will pay Lalasa Isran the money that you so desperately believe is hers.'

She stalked off and when she returned it was to slam three silver coins into Kel's out-stretched palm.

Kel looked up the stairs to where Lalasa and Tian clutched each other fearfully. Kel knew that after her little scene they would be out of jobs.

'Come on,' Kel beckoned to them. 'We're leaving, _all _of us.'

It took less than five minutes for the two women to gather up all of their possessions and join Kel on the street.

'Here,' Lalasa thrust Kel a sack. 'It's your dress.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, peering into the gloom of the bag towards the item that had caused all of this havoc in the first place.

They walked up Palace way, Kel glancing into side streets until she found what she was looking for. She then led the three women into a wide, cobbled road full of small, neat shops. Her eyes scanned the storefronts, searching.

Kel ducked inside a plain shop and paused in front of a high desk behind which a balding man was standing.

'I would like to buy a shop,' she declared.

'Did you have anything in mind?' said the clerk, looking down his slightly crooked nose.

'A small place, with rooms above…something suitable for a dressmaker's.'

'I believe we may have several locations that may serve your needs. Would you like to view the properties?'

'Yes,' said Kel. 'I'm actually looking to buy this very day.'

'My lady no,' whispered Lalasa behind her. Kel ignored the plea and avoided Lucie's trouble gaze deliberately. The clerk returned with a portly man dressed in a smart tunic.

'If you ladies would care to follow me?'

And their search began.

The first shop that they viewed was far too large for their purpose. The second was sandwiched between two larger shops and had evidently been empty for quite some time. It needed too much work done before it could serve as a usable shop. The third property was perfect; situated on a clean street corner, with pretty bay windows and a small porch.

'What do you think?' asked Kel, turning her unreadable face to Lalasa and Tian.

'My lady, we can't possibly afford this,' said Tian, her voice trembling slightly.

'How much is this property?' Kel asked the man.

'To buy outright, forty gold nobles,' said the man, consulting his documents.

'I can afford it,' said Kel. 'I just lost you your jobs, and you're my friends. You deserve this shop.'

'My Lady,' breathed Lalasa, tears now forming in her eyes. 'You really mustn't. It's far too much.'

'We'll take it,' Kel said firmly. 'Here is a deposit of five nobles; I'll bring the rest along later.'

'Right,' bustled the man, pulling papers out of his bag. 'I'll need you to sign here…and here.'

It took Kel less than five minutes to complete the ownership deeds and as she signed her final 'Keladry of Mindelan' on the bottom of the last page, the man handed her the keys.

'We will expect the payment to be completed within the next five days.'

'You'll have your money,' Kel promised.

Kel handed the two crying women the keys.

'It's all yours,' she said simply. 'You'll need another ten nobles or so to stock up on supplies and then you can start taking commissions.'

'We can't ever repay you,' sniffed Tian.

'I don't need repaying in coin. What good is the money doing sitting up in my room? Repay me in deeds. You're my friends and I'm giving you the opportunity to use the talents you've been granted. When your business grows you can teach young city girls to sew and improve their lives. I know you won't treat them like Mistress Selwyn does.'

After several more weepy protestations and thanks, Kel and Lucie left the two ladies to settle in.

On their walk back to the Palace, Kel caught Lucie staring strangely at her. Kel massaged her aching head.

'I can't change the way that thousands of working girls are treated,' Kel said slowly. 'But if I have the opportunity to change just a few, then I will. Because it may not make a difference as a whole, but it made a difference to them.'

Lucie nodded. 'I know that,' she said confidently. 'I don't know why you surprise me anymore.'

Kel smiled shyly.

* * *

The sunny walk back to the Palace did nothing to help Kel's throbbing head. Every breath was an effort for her over-worked legs and once or twice she stumbled, her fatigued legs shaky.

She excused herself from Lucie and headed back up to her room; she had just under an hour until a lesson with Sir Myles. Now in the safety of her room Kel was able to uncover the dress that she had commissioned from Lalasa all those weeks ago.

Although she had expected work of a high quality, Kel couldn't help but let a gasp escape at the sight of dress before her. It was a deep forest green floor length gown. The finest embroidery in gold thread swirled along the bottom hem of the dress, curling up one side to meet the gold ribbon lacings that crossed down the either side of the bodice.

With fumbling fingers Kel pulled off her dirty shirt and breeches and stepped into the dress. It fit perfectly and Kel gaped at herself. The skirt was full, but not flouncy and the bodice could be tightened by the laces to show off her slim torso. The top of the sleeves was slightly rounded and from underneath stemmed long, tight sleeves that flared out slightly to encompass her hands. More delicate, decorative lacing ran the length of either sleeve and each cuff was embellished with designs so intricate that Kel could only examine in awe. Never during her time at the Convent had she been able to produce anything that was even one hundredth as skilled as what Lalasa had done.

The occasional pearl studded the design, often at the centres of twirled flowers. A fine, delicate band of thicker golden threads woven into a dark background gathered the dress just above Kel's hips and the flowing material would prevent any accusations of her muscly frame, just as the ruffs at Kel's shoulders would mask her deltoids.

Gathering her hair back so that she could see the neckline Kel's heart fell. Displayed as clear as the day outside her window was the white, slightly jagged line left behind by the Tauros. Disappointment filled Kel and she hastily shrugged out of the dress and stowed it safely in her bare wardrobe.

She pulled on her breeches, wincing as she had to lift up her legs to put them on. Kel selected a clean shirt from the pile on the windowsill and without bothering to lace it all the way up, she fell onto her bed. Every part of her body seemed to be buzzing and Kel lay as still as if she were made of marble.

Her last thought before exhaustion dragged her down into its leaden embrace was that at least she was confident that Lalasa and Tian would have a thriving business. Ladies would pay a lot of money for the finery that now resided in Kel's creaky wardrobe.

* * *

Lord Wyldon guided his youngest and favourite daughter down from their suite towards the private dining rooms belonging to the nobles. It would not be long before she would be presented to court. Although Lucie hadn't remained at the Convent after the Tauros incident, Lord Wyldon had no doubt that, like her sisters before her Lucie would make him a proud father.

Whether it was because she was his last daughter, or whether he was just becoming more lenient with old age, Wyldon was not in a hurry to marry off his last daughter. She was vibrant, beautiful and would make a fine wife he had no doubt. It would be his last duty as a father to find a match that was not only respectable, but one in which she was happy.

Lucie was just describing how Kel had bought a dress shop for two seamstresses when Sir Myles approached them.

'Lady Lucie,' Myles ducked his shaggy head in acknowledgement and then turned to the Lord of Cavall. 'I just thought I should let you know that Keladry didn't turn up to my lesson this afternoon, nor did she visit Master Prithen.'

'Thank you Sir Myles,' replied Lord Wyldon.

The older knight left them alone. Lucie bit her lip worriedly. 'Maybe we should go and check that she's alright, she was acting quite strangely earlier.'

'Buying a shop for two commoners? That sounds exactly like the sort of thing Mindelan would do,' said Lord Wyldon dryly.

'No, not the actual purchasing of the shop, but she got angry at Mistress Selwyn and well, Kel's normally the most controlled person I've ever met.'

'Alright, I'll go and see if I can find her. You go and join your mother; she was complaining to me earlier that she never sees you anymore.' Lucie stood on tip toes to kiss her father's slightly prickly cheek and then hurried away.

Quite apart from being able to see Lucie everyday, his daughter's presence meant that his wife wasn't torn between the Palace and Cavall. Lord Wyldon would enjoy the company of his family until the autumn whilst he remained in Corus to train Mindelan.

Once September came, he hoped to ride north. Although Wyldon had enjoyed working with the Own, rumours of unrest were growing and he had put in an application to General Vanget for a post on the northern border.

With only one wrong turn, Wyldon found himself outside Kel's room. He knocked on the door and found that it swung open under his fist; it wasn't locked. Warily he poked his head inside the room.

On the bed, still captive to her fatigue Kel was curled up, fast asleep. Her face was smooth and untroubled, her chest rising and falling in a slow, repetitive rhythm. Lord Wyldon had half a mind to wake her and send her to supper, but even in her sleep she looked exhausted. The skin on her face was stretched a little too tightly over cheekbones and her hair was ratted and knotted.

Wyldon backed out of the room; he would send a servant up later with some food. For now, sleep was her most pressing need.

In his mind, he still couldn't quite fathom Keladry of Mindelan out. Over the past four weeks she had trained harder than any warrior Lord Wyldon had ever met. The time she spent training was almost double the amount the pages did and she didn't stop for weekends. It had been Wyldon's opinion that she should only use her time to master the lance and the bow, for she was more than proficient in the sword and unarmed combat. Keladry however squashed not only her swordplay into her spare time, but also jogging, glaive work with the Yamani ladies and her own tilting practice. He shook his head.

She had never once opened her mouth to voice a complaint or even slackened off her schedule. However it seemed today that even an iron will and the determination that Kel had in spades couldn't over come the basal need for sleep.

* * *

When Kel awoke the next morning she found a platter of rolls stuffed with chicken and a small jug of spiced apple juice placed carefully on her desk amongst bits of paper with half completed mathematical equations scribbled hastily across them.

Feeling better than she had done in days, Kel had a proper wash and swapped all of her clothes for clean ones. She strapped on her harness and sword belt tightly before scraping her clean wet hair into a messy knot on the back of her head. She wrapped a strip of material around her hairline to keep the straggly pieces off of her forehead and out of her eyes.

Kel grabbed a roll and left her room with a smile. She hummed a Scanran song under her breath between mouthfuls as she trod the familiar path to the practice courts.

Eda and Fassin were already warmed up and ready to begin by the time Kel arrived.

'We've got something different for you to do today,' Eda explained as Kel began to stretch. 'We want you to fight both of us at the same time. We'll start with swords, but if we're disarmed then we will move onto unarmed combat.'

Kel nodded, her mind already thinking out strategies, searching for a way that she could possibly best _two_ Shang warriors.

Once she finished a warm up with a proficient flip, landing squarely on two feet, Kel drew Courage and faced off. She shook out her legs, shifting her weight from side to side. If she remained static then she'd have no chance.

Fassin attacked first with a solid overhead strike. Kel's sword had barely reached the block when she was forced to twist to the side to avoid a jab from Eda. This was a dangerous duel. All three of them wielded live blades and one wrong move could leave her seriously injured or even dead. This knowledge pumped adrenalin into her veins and Kel was able to dart around and attack Eda. They exchanged blows for no more than two seconds before Kel was forced to move away and deal with Fassin.

Kel leapt backwards, twisting in the air to bat Eda's sword away. Throwing caution to the wind, she took two strides and physically leapt at Fassin, her blade aiming straight for his wrists. In an awkward move that Kel had anticipated, he moved his sword downwards to prevent his wrists from being severed. This was a weak position and as Kel landed the blow, the force of her bodyweight behind it sent it spinning away. Before she could even bring Courage's point to Fassin's neck, Kel saw Eda's shadow looming behind her.

Kel threw herself to the ground, aware of nothing but her innate instinct to survive. She rolled, as first year pages were taught and defended herself from the ground. In a desperate move Kel managed to sweep Eda's legs from underneath her. The lady toppled forward and Kel scrambled up. Barely three quarters of the way back into her stance it felt like Kel had just been rammed by a bull as Fassin's bulk slammed into her. Kel scrabbled in the dirt, kicking herself free of Fassin's grip.

She rose like a cat, springing up towards Eda. Combining a kick and a thrust with her sword, Kel set Eda off-balance and wove Courage in to rest at Eda's throat. _One down,_ she thought savagely. But even as Kel turned she was smashed down into the floor. To avoid impaling herself on her own blade Kel had to sling Courage away, leaving her weapon less against Fassin.

The blows exchanged were fast and furious, neither softening nor faltering. Kel was being pummelled left right and centre. Limbs were blurs as they twisted and wove in a complex dance that baffled the crowd that was beginning to gather.

Fassin dived forward and together they tumbled to the floor, wrestling. Kel wiggled with all her might but couldn't break the iron grip on her arms. She kneed Fassin in the stomach and broke free, breathing hard. Both fighters surged to their feet once more.

When they met again, Kel dodged the first punch and retuned the attack with a kick that left her slightly off balance. She caught the blow awkwardly and catapulted backwards. Fassin leapt after her and Kel's struggling fingers caught his wrist. Fassin landed hard on top of Kel and it was all over. He had Kel pinned.

'I yield,' said Kel between pants.

Fassin rolled to the side, wiping sweat from his dark skin. Kel sat up and dabbed at her eyebrow which seemed to have been split again.

Looking up, Kel noted for the first time that a large audience had accumulated. The majority of the men were wearing the blue and silver that identified them as members of the King's Own. Others were interspersed around the practice court; several riders, a couple of pages watching in awe and even the group of noble ladies who had arrived early for their glaive practice.

'Well fought,' said a familiar voice approvingly. Turning her head, Kel saw the ruddy cheeked Knight Commander of the Own.

Kel scrambled to her feet and bowed, accepting the compliment. 'Back already my Lord?'

The King's Own had left two weeks previously to ride to the aid of a village struck by a forest fire.

'Fortunately anti-fire charms managed to salvage most of the village,' said Raoul jovially, 'it didn't take us too long to repair the damage.'

Kel looked around Raoul's huge form to a figure that had separated from the crowd. Raoul followed her gaze. 'Checking that she's still in one piece?' Raoul asked as Dom came closer, his eyes dancing wickedly.

Kel wanted to leap into Dom's arms there and then, but she restrained herself. Talk would do neither of them any favours.

'Good day Keladry,' Raoul excused himself with a nod of his curly-haired head.

'My Lord.'

Kel was left staring at Dom, her eyes greedily roving over his tanned face.

'I leave you for two weeks,' he said dramatically, 'only to return from my endeavours to find you rolling around on the floor with another man!'

Kel would've elbowed him if her arms weren't aching from the plethora of bruises that she'd just obtained.

'Well next time you can roll around on the floor with two Shang warriors,' groaned Kel, flexing her bruises knuckles.

Dom shook his head violently. 'I have always retained the opinion that men, or women,' he added, 'that try for knighthood are completely and utterly mad. Hopefully you aren't as badly afflicted as Neal…'

'You think Lord Raoul is mad?' demanded Kel, an eyebrow raised.

'My lord is an excellent commander, strategist and is a brilliant judge of people. However he will attempt to avoid large social occasions at _all_ costs and-'

'I don't blame him,' interrupted Kel. 'He's probably forced to dance with every unmarried girl in court.'

'Exactly,' said Dom, installing a faraway look in his eyes, '_every _unmarried girl.'

This time Kel really did elbow Dom, who grinned madly.

'It's a good thing I'm not a war hero.'

'Dance with whoever you want,' said Kel, feigning indifference.

Dom made a gesture as though to reach for Kel's hand and then thought better of it, given their public surroundings.

'I only want to dance with one girl at the Queen's birthday ball,' Dom said quietly.

'Lucky her,' Kel smiled, 'and she won't even have me glaring at her, since I won't be going.'

'Don't worry you've got three weeks to pick a dress,' he smiled, ignoring her.

Kel's thoughts flashed back to the beautiful dress that sat in her cupboard. The one that she would never be able to wear.

'Kel are you coming?' asked Ilane of Mindelan, as she approached the couple.

'Yes,' Kel replied. 'Mama, this is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle. Dom this is my mother, Ilane of Mindelan.'

'The pleasure is all mine,' said Dom bowing deeply and flashing Ilane his most dazzling smile.

'I'll find you later,' Kel told Dom.

'Alright. Is Neal around?'

'No he left with the Lioness about the same time that you did.'

'Shame,' said Dom, 'I had the most excellent prank…' he trailed off, looking at Ilane. 'I'll see you later,' he said hastily. Dom bowed to both women and then jogged back to his fellow soldiers.

Ilane looked her youngest daughter up and down. She was filthy from rolling around in the practice court dirt, but beneath the grime she was positively glowing.

'Are you alright Kel?' she asked concernedly, touching one long, delicate finger to the congealed blood above Kel's eyebrow.

'I'm fine,' Kel reassured her, 'just got a few bruises, that's all.'

Ilane didn't look convinced. When they reached the other women, there were expressions of mild horror on their faces. Kel found this odd. They had no problem with women wielding weapons such as the glaive, bows, or even horse riding. But the idea of rolling around on the ground wrestling and punching seemed to shock them.

Sighing inwardly, Kel collected her glaive and paired off against Yuki.

* * *

That night, once she had dragged herself away from the mess hall, she prised up the floorboard from underneath her desk and pulled out her tournament winnings. A small fortune lay on the desk before her.

Kel counted out the remaining money that she owed for the dress shop. She also set aside ten gold nobles for Lalasa and Tian to purchase any materials or equipment that they might need for their business.

Rummaging in the drawers Kel drew out all of her possessions. Apart from shirts, breeches and underclothes, Kel only owned some chain mail and a breastplate. She eyed it critically. Although it could do with a clean, it was of a very good quality and did not need replacing. She would however need new wrist guards and a new helmet to replace the one that had been lost on the battlefield.

If she left a budget of ten nobles to spend on her new armour and any clothes that she might need to buy as the weather turned colder, this left Kel with forty gold nobles. A huge sum in itself.

Kel didn't need this kind of money. Having lived on the bare minimum for so long, Kel felt no need to spend lavishly on embroidered tunics or dresses. She had only commissioned one from Lalasa as an excuse to let Lalasa demonstrate her skills.

Sweeping the piles of money into various pouches, Kel gathered up the dress and left the room. She rode down into the humid city to save time and Prince welcomed any exercise that wasn't charging endlessly at a quintain.

Her first stop was the property sellers, where she completed payment for the shop. Her second one was at the armoury, where she selected tough-looking wrist guards and a helmet that was comfortable and sturdy. Like all of Kel's belongings they were chosen for their practicality over their aesthetic value; she wasn't about to spend seven silvers more just so that she could have the shiniest helm in the shop.

Then she moved onto Lalasa and Tian's shop. Kel knocked on the door and tethered Prince loosely to an iron ring set in the wall.

It was Tian who answered the door.

'Lady Kel,' she curtsied.

'Just Kel,' came the exasperated reminder that Kel wanted to be their equal and not their superior. 'I just came by to drop of the final deed for the shop, as well as some money to get you started.'

Lalasa's timid face appeared at the top of the stairs, her dark eyes wide.

'Why have you bought the dress back?'

'Well,' Kel fought to keep her face from flushing. 'Really Lalasa, it's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen. It's just…well I can't wear it.'

Lalasa's face fell.

'Why ever not?' Tian enquired.

'I have a scar…' said Kel, fighting her embarrassment. She pulled her shirt down so that the two ladies caught a glimpse of the ugly mark below her collarbones.

'That may not have to be a problem,' said Lalasa thoughtfully. 'Would you mind if I could see you wearing it?' She asked so cautiously that Kel had no choice but to oblige.

Kel changed in the upstairs privy and hesitantly stepped out. 'It really is a beautiful dress Lalasa,' she said quietly, smoothing the soft material beneath her rough palms.

'_You_ look beautiful,' declared Tian. It's harder to see when you're wearing men's clothes and all…' she stopped, as though worried she'd been too outspoken.

Kel smiled bashfully.

Meanwhile Lalasa had been looking thoughtfully at Kel. The ragged scar was only an inch or so above the neckline of the dress, but it extended almost the full width of Kel's body.

'If I made an undershirt of very fine chiffron and embroidered it, you could wear it underneath. It would hide your scar and yet not detract from the shape of the dress.'

'I like the idea,' said Tian excitedly, 'you could continue the gold embroidery up into a delicate collar.'

'Ok,' said Kel, sighing inwardly. 'If you can make that shirt, then I will wear this dress to the Queen's ball.'

'Really?' squeaked Lalasa.

Kel smiled at the hope that shone on either face. 'I will personally see to it that as many people as possible are directed your way when I speak to them.'

'Do you have shoes to go with it?' enquired Tian.

Kel shook her head. After a moment of thought, she asked 'Tian, whilst Lalasa is making the shirt, could you find me some shoes and jewellery to match the dress? Buy it from the smaller traders in the city.'

'I would be honoured my- Kel,' Tian corrected herself.

'This should cover the costs,' said Kel, handing over a couple of coins.

When Kel finally left the shop, it was beginning to get dark. Swinging herself onto Prince she rode hurriedly to the nearest accountants. Here, she changed her remaining gold coins into silver, until she had a heavy, clinking bag stuffed full with shiny silver pieces.

As she stepped out once more, the sky rumbled and the faintest drops of rain fell on Kel's nose. Even as Kel looked up, water began to pour from the sky. The cool droplets were a respite from what had been an unbearably sticky, humid day.

Now that the rain was really pouring down, Kel turned Prince away from the city and began to canter through the downpour. Prince whickered happily; glad to be leaving the confines of the city. They galloped for at least an hour across the nearby countryside, freshly formed mud flying up from Prince's hooves.

'That feels better eh boy?' Kel reached forward to pat Prince's warm wet neck.

At a slower pace they made their way back into Corus and by the time they were walking through the flooded streets of the Lower City it was very late indeed. Kel knew that she would regret her late night in the morning, but at the moment she was set on a task.

Dismounting into the putrid water that had pooled in the middle of the street, Kel walked to the first door and slid two silver coins underneath. She then hurried to the next and the next, distributing coins into the poorest houses of the city.

Because the houses were squashed so close together, it didn't take Kel long to gift whole streets. She dropped coins into the laps of any beggars who hadn't made it out of the rain and into the small temples and shrines to the Goddess that she passed along the way.

Kel spent hours trawling the streets of Corus, occasionally having to teach a drunk that she wasn't a girl to be messed with. The downpour hadn't stopped and she was soaked to the skin, her clothes clinging tightly to her thin frame.

It was early the next morning by the time Kel rode back to the Palace, her money pouch considerably lighter. She hadn't been able to get rid of all of the coins, but she could always come back another night.

Leaving her wet clothes in soggy pile Kel pulled on a large shirt that stretched to halfway down her thighs. She wrung out her hair, cobbled down some answers to her mathematics homework and crawled into bed, tired to the bone, but feeling pleased that even though she would feel terrible there would be a lot of overjoyed families in Corus tomorrow.

* * *

Kel was woken the next morning by sharp raps on her door. Almost blindly she groped for some breeches and struggled into them. When she opened the door Fassin slipped quietly into the room.

Embarrassed that she had still been in bed when the sun was already beginning to rise, Kel hurried over and yanked the curtains apart. Fassin joined her next to the window.

'Kel I'm leaving today,' he said quietly, staring out across the peaceful city. 'I'm going back.'

'Back?' asked Kel tentatively.

'Back.' He replied, his voice laced with meaning. 'As a Shang we are bound to roam the realms, helping where we can until we find a cause which grips us by our very soul. Eda has found hers here, training the knights-to-be. I think my role found me in Scanra, and when I met you and Alex, I became a link in a bigger picture. You're safely on your way now, to being where he wants you to be. I can't help you anymore; our fight yesterday proved this, and whether my presence makes a difference or not up there, I have this feeling that it's where I should be.' He finished, turning his coal black eyes onto Kel.

A horrible mix of emotions flashed in Kel's eyes. How she longed to do what Fassin was planning to do.

'When you find him,' she said quietly, her voice full of longing and sadness, 'tell him…tell him…I'll be ready. I haven't forgotten the promises I've made. Scanra will see the rightful King on her throne.'

* * *

**-a/n-** These chapters do seem to run away with me and end up being far longer than planned! This one incorporates lots of little threads and hopefully moves the plot along a bit.

I'm hoping to get the next chapter up within the week, and by the end of that you'll know where the next stage of Kel's journey will take her ;D

A question: Do you think I should change the summary of Fallen? Because I was looking at it the other day and it doesn't really reflect the story that much as I wrote it so long ago. However there is a little piece of me that wants it to stay the same…Opinions anyone?

Please review and you'll get a faster update :P

**Confusedknight xx**


	56. The busy life

-a/n- Just a short note; there is a much longer one at the bottom. As usual **thank you so much **to everyone who left a review! This is the result –only a week between updates!

**Confusedknight xx**

PS. At the end of this chapter there are odd phrases that you might recognise from 'Squire.' I do not own these, or any of the characters for that matter. I am simply an overworked student playing around with Pierce's characters.

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* * *

  
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Kel stumbled on a rock and hastily righted herself, swearing colourfully under her breath in Scanran. She was picking her way down a stony path towards smooth green pastures that rolled softly on the undulating land to the west of the Palace.

Horses grazed peacefully in the sunshine, whisking their tails at bothersome flies. Ahead of Kel two colts frisked playfully, chasing and prancing after each other, too young to be dignified. When Kel passed into the next field a mare herded her foal away, cautious of the lean two-legger that was jogging through their pasture.

All the while, Kel's eyes were scanning the fields, looking for the familiar shape of a strawberry roan gelding. It had only been the night previously when she'd had a chance to talk to Daine and discover that Peachblossom, to Kel's delight, hadn't left the Palace or indeed even entered the service of another page. Daine had bought him outright and set him to pasture, a gentle retirement for the destrier.

As Kel approached the horse, Peachblossom's head shot up, his ears pricked in an expression as close to surprise as could be displayed on an equine face.

'Hello,' said Kel. 'It's been a while.'

As Kel reached out her hand, Peachblossom's jaw snapped around, only to close on thin air.

'Retirement hasn't sweetened you then?' Kel asked drily. 'Well you'll have to be a lot faster than that if you want to bite me!'

Reaching into her pocket Kel withdrew a shiny apple and offered it to her old friend. Peachblossom munched eagerly, his disagreement temporarily forgotten. When he finished the first apple in a few quick bites he butted Kel gently with his head.

As Kel fed Peachblossom the second apple, she explained how she'd had to go away and apologised for not taking him with her. Although Kel knew that Peachblossom probably wasn't interested in what little he could understand of her explanation, it made Kel feel as though, like with all those she'd left behind, that something akin to an understanding had been reached.

Kel rubbed Peachblossom's favourite spot and the old horse closed his eyes lazily, leaning into Kel's hands. She noted that the scars on his back had almost completely faded, covered by fresh hair growth. It was ironic that as Peachblossom's scars had faded Kel had acquired a set all of her own.

Despite the fact that Kel would dearly have loved to ride Peachblossom once more, he had been in pasture for four years now. It wouldn't be fair to try to get him fit again. Besides, she had been riding Prince for so long now, had survived through so much with him, that in a fight, although Peachblossom would always have a special place in her heart, she would feel a lot safer on Prince.

With the promise of more apples when she next visited, Kel left the prickly horse to his grazing and headed up to the castle for dinner.

* * *

'So I visited Lalasa and Tian today,' Lucie told Kel as she helped herself to potatoes.

'Was your dress finished?' Kel asked as she too began to pile food onto her plate.

'Yes and its _gorgeous!_' exclaimed Lucie with a pent-up energy that told Kel that she'd been dying to tell someone about it ever since she'd returned from the shop. 'Tian found the _exact_ shade of red that I wanted and Lalasa's work is unparalleled.'

'I can come up and take a quick look before my lesson with Sir Myles.'

'You _must! _Oh it's so exciting!'

Kel smiled at her friend who she was sure, if it were not completely unbecoming, would have been bouncing up and down in her seat like a six-year-old.

'You are going to come and get ready with me tomorrow, aren't you?'

'Do I have a choice in this matter?' Kel muttered, prompting a giggle from Lucie.

'Not at all.'

'Well it looks like I'll meet you as soon as I've finished maths.'

'What time will that be?'

'At the fifth bell,' Kel replied through her mouthful of food.

'That doesn't give us enough time!' Lucie was dismayed.

'Almost two hours…' Kel's look was incredulous.

'But there is a lot to be done. Father-' Lucie called out to Lord Wyldon, who was eating two seats up the table from Kel. 'Would it be possible to arrange for Kel to finish early? Only it is the Queen's ball…'

Kel began to choke silently on a piece of chicken and hastily gulped water out of her goblet.

'I suppose we can shift all her afternoon lessons up by one hour,' Lord Wyldon said, struggling to keep a smile off of his face.

'Well there you have it,' said Lucie, 'I'll meet you at the fourth bell.'

Lucie's expression was innocently smug that Kel resigned herself to an afternoon of ladylike frivolousness. If she hadn't known better, Kel could've sworn that she saw a smirk on Lord Wyldon's face.

* * *

Ink had stained Kel's fingers black, whilst other spots had flecked her hand and shirt cuff in a fine spatter, almost the pattern of arterial spray, albeit blacker. Kel tore her mind from this thought. Although her days in battle were but a memory it was one that wouldn't fade, unlike her memory of the dates upon which laws were made.

Sighing Kel glanced back up to a crumbled sheet of paper to her left. It read _4__th__ June 127 H.E. _That was the day upon which northern Tortall had united with the fiefs below the unconquerable southern desert.

'One hundred and twenty seven,' Kel muttered to herself as she looked back at the maths puzzle she was meant to be solving. It was about the requisition of arrows. If sixty percent of the enemy were likely to be wearing plate armour, then it appeared likely that sixty percent of the order needed to be broad-headed, armour-piercing arrows. However, these did not have as long a range as the lighter arrows, which would be needed to combat thirty percent of the task force. She had sixty men under her command, forty of whom could shoot, twenty three who were good archers… The question went on. Picking out useful numbers and facts from the text, Kel slotted them into a formula and after a few calculated scribbles estimated the number of arrows she would need. Owing to the fact that three percent of arrows were likely to be defective or broken during transport, she added on an extra sum and wrote down her final answer in a small flourished script.

Kel adjusted her seat, clicking her toes in the process and settled into the next problem: The resultant force needed, and hence the number of men to batter in a door, given the dimensions and density of the door and battering ram.

This question Kel found trickier and several of her workings went wrong and ended up being scribbled over, creating a nasty black void on the paper. It wasn't to be helped. Kel glanced back up at her history notes; 'One hundred and twenty seven.'

There was a heavy pounding on the door. Even as Kel pivoted on her seat, a flamboyant Neal pranced into the room.

'I have returned, dear one, to the realms of the civilised,' he declared, making large gestures with his lanky arms. Without waiting for a response from Kel he collapsed dramatically back onto the bed. 'You've no idea of the madness that I've escaped from.'

'Is life at Pirate's swoop not to your liking?' Kel asked, setting aside her writing materials.

'Oh it's been an experience all right,' said Neal, propping himself up on his elbows and focusing his emerald eyes on Kel. 'Curing every ailment imaginable, evading her nefarious offspring, intensive swordplay and, very little time for academia' he finished mournfully. 'Although, I'm pleased to note in my absence you have not forsaken your own studies. I was expecting to find you beating up a seven foot Scanran armed with nought but a stick.'

Kel blinked at the word "Scanran". 'Don't be silly.' She said in mock seriousness, 'I'd need a sword at least. Besides, it's quite hard to find Scanrans down here. I've been fighting two Shang warriors instead.'

'_Two_ Shang warriors?' Neal shuddered. 'You might as well lie down and take the beating without protest.'

Kel snorted. 'A fine knight you'll make!'

'I will make a fine knight young lady, because _I _am a pragmatist,' Neal announced. 'Provided I am correct in my assumption that two Shang warriors won't suddenly spring out of an opposing army, I see no need to even attempt to fight them.'

'Oh I don't know,' said Kel, and looking back at her work she muttered, 'you meet them in the oddest of places.'

* * *

The night was warm and still. Kel could hear the faint buzzing of a mosquito from somewhere in the shadowy space above her bed. Despite Neal's earlier interruption Kel had managed to finish all of her written work. Dates and facts flitted through her mind sporadically, reassuring Kel that her time had not been spent in vain.

Her thoughts turned to the upcoming ball. Kel felt slightly hypocritical; for the last few years she had hated the nobles that sat in banquet halls feasting in fine clothes whilst thousands, millions of people went hungry. Tomorrow she would join that band of rich people and she hated herself for it. And even though the cost of her dress had helped Lalasa, Kel couldn't help but think that attending the ball wasn't going to help anyone. If anything, her evening would be better spent on the tilting lane, increasing her accuracy at a fast speed.

Kel rolled onto her side, pressing her check against a cool patch on her pillow. She knew that Lucie desperately wanted her to go, not to mention Dom who was escorting her. Maybe if she used it as an opportunity to observe the nobles of Tortall, witness the true Tortallan court... Kel couldn't imagine what she could find out that she didn't already know, but it least it added an iota of purpose to what was otherwise going to be a wasted evening.

To help ease her guilt, Kel prayed hard to the Great Mother Goddess, envisioning Alex, Fassin, Tor, Marthea, Eron, Isra, Hal and Meah one by one, praying for their protection. Distracted, tiredness overtook her and Kel drifted into sleep.

* * *

'Have you heard from Fassin?' Kel asked Eda, blocking the attack easily.

'No,' replied Eda, not slowing the pace of their sparring. 'And I don't expect to. Someday he may return here, if he survives whatever task he feels he must complete. But the way of a Shang is not to become tied to people or places.' A few more blows were exchanged. 'Some of our warriors disappear after their Ordeal; they travel to far off places and no one sees or hears from them again.'

Kel jabbed her sword forwards in a tricky manoeuvre to place the tip on the bridge of Eda's nose. She hoped very much that Fassin would endeavour to send her some form of note or message that could confirm that he had found Alex alive and well. Even better would be a note from Alex himself, with orders or instructions on what she should be doing. However Kel doubted that once immersed in the depths of the vast country that either would be able to convey any note to her without actually sending one of Alex's precious men.

'Keladry?'

Kel spun around to find a short, red-haired woman watching her with amethyst eyes. A blade lay naked in her hand.

'Lady Knight,' Kel bowed. As Kel brought her head back up she saw a bleary-eyed Neal waving at her. Kel smiled and lifted a hand.

Alanna followed Kel's gaze. 'Squire do you want to fence against Keladry?'

'Mithros above no!' exclaimed Neal, suddenly looking more awake.

'Then get practising with Squire Jesslaw,' she barked. Kel saw the two boys scramble to collect practice swords. 'A month or so ago we agreed to a match…'

'My lady, I would be honoured.'

They moved apart and brought their swords up. Out of the corner of her eye Kel saw Neal and Owen halt their practice to watch intently.

The Lioness struck out in a smooth sweeping move to start the fight; one which Kel blocked firmly before launching her own assault. Attacks and blocks were barely discernable from each other as the sounds of metal clashing filled the practice court. The pace of the fight was incredible. Alanna was faster than the Shang warriors, as fast even as Alex. Although she had a very solid, Tortallan way of fighting, she more than overcompensated in her vast years of experience on the courts. Kel in comparison used her own unique blends of moves; Scanran, Tortallan, Yamani and Shang, to often force Alanna to invent a counter move quickly.

The Knight tried to dart around Kel's side, but Kel foresaw the move on two occasions, simply pivoting and sweeping her sword to null the attack. In a transition faster than ever before, Kel swapped her sword to her left hand. Moments later this move was copied by Alanna and the fight progressed, never halting to catch breath, the left-handed duel not a hairsbreadth slower than the right-handed one.

The duel carried on, both women demonstrating the true range of their skill. To an onlooker it would've been art at its finest. Exhilaration flooded through Kel. This was the fighting she loved. There was no horror or gore of a battlefield, no wastage of life. It was simply the pitting of skill against skill, something that as an athlete she revelled in.

Each blade was constantly shifting, accelerating, decelerating, changing direction, searching, seeking. A cold metal blade found skin. Everything froze.

'I yield,' Kel said calmly and Alanna stepped away, triumphant.

'Well fought, well fought indeed.' She clapped Kel's shoulder. 'I haven't had a duel like that in _years. _Goddess bless, I couldn't fight like that when I was your age.'

'I practise a lot,' said Kel quietly, embarrassed at the high praise.

'And your style is quite unique. Who taught you to fight?'

'Just a friend, Lioness.'

'And where was this friend from?' asked Alanna directly.

'He wouldn't say, my Lady.' This was half true; when Kel had initially met Alex she had been unsure of his origins.

Alanna's eyebrows rose, almost disbelievingly.

'I didn't ask questions and he didn't ask me any,' said Kel, her gaze flicking up from the floor.

'I only ask because you used many moves of origins that I could not place, and I've studied swordplay from all the main groups of warriors.'

Kel was inwardly thankful that Alanna, like nearly all Tortallans, dismissed Scanrans as barbarians from the north. As there had never been any diplomatic meetings between the countries, most Tortallans remained unaware of the true culture and Northern way of life. They knew not the styles of the swordsmen or axmen that Scanra spawned, they didn't even know about the rich musical nature of the people or of the traditions and rites of the individual clans.

'My teacher travelled a lot, so maybe he assimilated the styles of different cultures,' Kel suggested. She wasn't going to say anything more than that. There was a Yamani saying; "You need never unsay anything that you did not say in the first place." And Kel hadn't forgotten who the Lioness's husband was.

There was an awkward silence in which Alanna's eyes scrutinised Kel, who was scuffing her toe in the sandy dirt of the court.

'Well I'd better get back to my insufferable squire,' sighed Alanna. 'He seems to need more encouraging to practise than you do. Will I be seeing you at the ball later?'

Kel shyly pulled a face. Alanna laughed openly. 'That would've been my reaction too at your age, but then again I didn't realise until I was older that there is nothing, nothing at all that says you can't be a warrior and a woman at the same time.' She bowed to Kel and began to walk away. She took a few paces and turned back. 'On your left-sided switches experiment with altering your grip; it'll give you more leverage when you strike.'

Kel watched as the Lady Knight berated her squire for stopping his duel with Owen with mixed feelings. It had been refreshing to fight against someone who was as good as Alex. It wasn't to say that the Shang warriors weren't a challenge –because they were. Any drop in Kel's guard and they would be through, but Alanna was an unknown quantity, whose fighting style Kel had never experienced. There would be so much that Kel could learn from her. But Lady Alanna was Neal's knight-mistress.

Kel felt a little resentment towards Neal, who wasn't even wholly interested in swordplay. As quickly as this feeling appeared, Kel chided herself for it. Who was she to begrudge Neal a position as the squire to the King's Champion? He was learning to heal, to be able to help people in a way that Kel never would.

Wiping sweat off of her brow, Kel went to join the Yamani ladies for their glaive practice. When the subject of balls and dresses was mentioned Kel piped up about Lalasa's new shop, singing praises to her craftwork; if Queen Thayet commissioned a dress from her then the shop would see a boom in business.

* * *

'Sit _still_,' ordered Lucy, as Kel fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair.

She had slipped into the modified version of the dress, one that now completely covered her scar. The sheer chiffron at her chest meant that Kel's skin and the dresses neckline were still obvious, but the scar was not. At her neck hung a beautiful green glass pendant. Tian had informed her that it had been made by a woman living in the Lower city, who had recently taken over her husband's glass blowing business after his premature death. The drops in her ears were also from the same shop, and the silky slippers on her feet were made by a cobbler who was struggling to make ends meet.

Kel's hair had been curled by Lucie and secured up prettily by a strand of pearls; a gift from her mother. Now, as Kel flinched, Lucie who was resplendent in a russet red dress applied face paint to Kel's face, concealing the scars, reddening the lips and darkening her eyes.

'There,' said Lucie, 'all done.'

Kel stood up and stretched out her spine, walking over to the mirror. Reflected in the shiny surface Kel saw the woman that she, by right of her birth should be. It was no longer the skinny street urchin with tousled hair and dirty clothes nor the hardened warrior with deep eyes that had seen more than should be seen, that stared back at her.

She was not a court beauty that would be fought over before the night's end, but she could pass, like she always did and blend into the background. The makeup had accentuated her eyes and drew the attention from her slightly crooked nose. Her brown, peasant's skin had been lightened by powder, and encased in Lalasa's extraordinary creation her skinny, lanky frame looked almost elegant.

Lucie, on the other hand looked every bit her heritage. With blond hair cascading down her back in perfect ringlets, her petite frame, expensive jewellery, and her dress, she would draw the eyes of all the unmarried men, and a few married ones as well.

'So?' asked Lucie waiting for Kel's verdict on the face paint.

'I feel naked without my sword,' Kel complained, avoiding answering the question.

'Well you have at least two daggers on you,' pointed out Lucie exasperatedly. Kel had absolutely refused to go weaponless; she felt too vulnerable in a dress.

'By the Divine Realms! You're meant to be meeting Dom in any minute,' cried Lucie, hurriedly slipping on her own shoes. She shepherded Kel out of the room. 'Do you remember what the priestesses used to say?'

'Stand tall, shoulders back –glide!' said Kel severely, in a good imitation of their old tutor.

Lucie giggled. 'Exactly! Do try and enjoy yourself tonight, won't you?'

Kel smiled, 'I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, and go and enjoy your evening.'

'Oh I intend to!' Smiled Lucie.

In the great entrance hall Kel spotted Dom. 'I'll see you later,' she told Lucie before hurrying, in as ladylike a way as possible to meet him.

'Wow!' breathed Dom. 'You scrub up nicely.'

'Just because I'm in a dress, doesn't mean that I can't hit you,' muttered Kel.

'No I mean it,' said Dom, ignoring her. 'You look…' he grasped around for the right word. 'Perfect.' And she was. She was not over-dressed, retaining something that was essentially Kel. Even though he knew that she disliked the idea of coming to the ball, it did not show in her outward manner and he marvelled at her ability to appear to belong in any situation.

'Shall we go in?' Kel asked, breaking the silence that had descended.

'Yes,' replied Dom, taking hold of Kel's arm and escorting her inside the lavishly decorated banquet hall.

They mingled inconspicuously with the guests, Kel in her forest green gown and Dom in his dress tunic that marked him as a sergeant of the King's Own. Kel was introduced to a variety of people and was met with varying expressions of intrigue, indifference and downright disgust.

She had just finished the conversation with Harsan, one of Dom's many elder brothers and his wife, when they spotted Neal.

Kel was surprised to see that he was escorting Yuki, her plump Yamani friend.

'I wasn't aware that you two knew each other?' she asked.

'We didn't,' said Yuki bluntly, her face blank. 'Until I met Neal yesterday on the practice courts after you had left.'

'I was tending to my wounds,' mourned Neal. 'It took me ten whole minutes to sort out my assortment of bruises.'

Yuki's eyes crinkled with mirth as they met Kel's.

'You seem to have raised my knight-mistress's expectations of me,' he continued dolefully.

'It's for your own good,' Dom told his cousin knowingly.

Unfortunately all too soon Neal was called away to talk to some friends of his from the university, and Kel and Dom were left alone.

'I think I can see Mama over there,' said Kel, trying to discreetly peer through the crowd.

Dom led Kel expertly through the crowd to the white-haired lady and short man that were Kel's parents.

'Kel,' said Lady Ilane, a smile spreading across her face.

Kel wasn't listening, but was struggling to keep the shock off of her face at the sight of her parent's companions. Inness and Cleon, both tall and bulky stood on the other side of Piers.

Cleon's draw dropped and Inness's eyes bulged with surprise. Although Kel had seen Inness just after she'd first met Alex, posing as a serving girl, Inness hadn't seen her since the summer before she'd left for page training. It had been a long time ago and Kel had changed immeasurably since then.

'I hear that you won the King's tournament,' said Inness.

'Yes,' replied Kel awkwardly, unsure how she was meant to respond. It was obvious that Inness was looking his sister up and down, finding the idea difficult to accept.

Cleon too was openly staring. He hadn't seen Kel since her last meal as a page and was probably struggling more with the image of a womanly Kel in a dress than wondering about her fighting skills.

Kel remained mute, not feeling open to talking to her brother that had slapped the beggar boy Kit all those years ago. Ilane introduced Dom to Cleon, Inness and Piers in the proper fashion and the men shook hands and bowed.

'Are you courting Kel?' Inness asked bluntly.

Dom drew Kel a little closer and answered 'yes', not liking the way that Squire Kennan was looking at her.

'I thought that men of the King's Own couldn't marry?' inquired the Knight.

'Not while they remain in active service,' confirmed Dom.

'I'm not looking to be married off yet,' Kel spoke hurriedly, drawing all five pairs of eyes to her face. 'I am going to earn my shield first.'

This statement then led to the explanation of how Kel was going to take the big exams at the end of next week and rejoin her training. When this discussion died, Dom excused them both and, wishing everyone a nice evening, whisked Kel off to the dance floor.

'Dom, I really, really don't like dancing' muttered Kel, although she was glad to have a break from feigning interest in petty conversation.

They twirled slowly, Kel's legs following Dom's and vaguely remembering the simple dance from her convent days. Dancing allowed Kel time to observe the room as a whole, without having to focus politely on individuals.

Over Dom's shoulder she could see the royal party, courteously greeting every jumped-up noble that wished the Queen a happy birthday. Nearby Prince Roald and Shinkokami were talking somewhat nervously to each other, surrounded by a group of younger courtiers.

Kel also spotted Lucie's blonde hair as was spun in a circle by her dance partner, laughing gaily. From an outward glance, Lucie wasn't someone that Kel would naturally gravitate towards. She loved all the court's social functions, following the latest fashions and had had impeccable ladylike manners and yet Kel knew that Lucie was not a shallow person, unlike many of the girls that the Convent produced. She was kind, funny and loyal. It just went to show that it was worth getting to know a person before you judged them.

* * *

When Kel returned to her room late that night, she slipped out of her dress with a smile still on her face, the taste of Dom's mouth tingling on her lips. She had eaten very well and after dinner had managed to spark up the painfully polite conversation between Roald and his bride to be.

Names and faces were spinning madly through her mind, Kel now an expert in recognising those nobles that thought she was too scandalous for words. Her reception hadn't all been bad. She had met Lady Uline of Hannalof, who congratulated Kel on her achievements, encouraging Kel enthusiastically to keep after her shield.

They had also stopped to talk to several of her old page training friends, all of whom were now squires and had, like Cleon, returned from far off places, all with exciting stories to listen too.

Dom had introduced Kel to the other nobles in the Own, although the majority of his friends were common born and therefore not invited to the ball. At one point during the evening Lord Raoul had hurried over, his cheeks ruddy and embarrassed, trying to escape from various matchmaking mothers. Dom had chuckled at the Knight Commander.

'Would you like to dance with Kel too?' he had suggested.

'Gods no!' Raoul had exclaimed. 'Oh sorry, I didn't mean it like that,' he backtracked earnestly, much to Dom's amusement. 'You look very nice Keladry; it's just that I'm trying to sneak out without Jon or Thayet noticing.' As he hurried away, his bulking form not easy to conceal even in a crowd.

Kel staggered into bed and wearily pulled a blanket over her shoulders. She simply didn't have the energy to remove her face paint, untie her hair or pull a shirt on over her underclothes.

Kel's last thought before she plummeted into sleep was that tomorrow evening she'd distribute the rest of the money into other poor districts of Corus, to ease her guilt over the luxurious evening.

* * *

Kel's heart hammered in her chest as she brought Prince around to face the target. She let her muscles relax and took several smooth breaths. _I am like polished stone. _And with all thoughts banished from her mind, determination filling every nanometre of her body, Kel kicked Prince's sides and they accelerated.

She brought her lance down and held it level with a steady grip. Just as Lord Wyldon had taught her she leant forward in the saddle moments before impact and smashed the tip of the lance into the dot on the quintain's wooden shield. Kel disliked the jarring, numb sensation that spread up her arm, but was relieved that her first run had been a success.

'Good boy,' she muttered in Prince's ear, patting his neck enthusiastically.

As she squared up for the second run she was about to envisage her smooth stone when Kel suddenly thought that actually, she wasn't at all like stone. A stone couldn't fight; a stone couldn't save or help people. No, she was more than a stone. She was a warrior, one of Alex's fighters for justice, and full of emotion for the cause that she had not forgotten, Kel charged once again.

Prince, perhaps sensing as many animals do, the emotions of his rider galloped faster than ever before. And when Kel's lance hit the target dead on centre it shattered under the impact.

Kel's third and final run was passable; her lance landing slightly off centre, but she passed without a buffet from the quintain nonetheless.

As she placed her lance back on the rack, Lord Wyldon nodded at her; she had reached the target required for fourth year pages.

Next was the swordplay assessment, which was going to be Kel's easiest test by far. Ignoring the gathered onlookers who had turned up to verify that Kel received no preferential treatment, she warmed up quickly and drew Courage, facing the unwitting soldier.

The fight lasted barely twenty seconds, the veteran soldier's standard issue sword flying from his hand in a blur of silver. Someone in the audience called for a rematch and the judges consented; they hadn't really had time to see any of Kel's technique.

Kel obliged and fought the soldier again, this time with the sword in her left hand. This duel lasted a little longer; about thirty seconds.

The reedy examiner shook his head in an irritated fashion.

'We have to see at least two minutes worth of fighting.'

Kel stood, uncomfortably aware of everyone's gaze, waiting for another opponent to step forward. She examined her blade, waiting. Eventually a young knight, whose name Kel didn't know stepped forward.

He was able to block most of her strikes firmly, but a succession of scanran slashes left an opening that was just large enough for Kel to take advantage of. His sword, like the soldier's flew to the side.

Applause registered in Kel's ears. She turned to see Dom, Neal and a group of her other friends all cheering her on. Kel felt her cheeks warm and busied herself with sheathing her sword and stretching out her arm muscles.

The next test was archery, where Kel shot adequately. Two arrows went slightly array out of her quiver of twelve, but it was enough for her to pass.

When it came to the spoken exams Kel answered the question on Yamani etiquette fluently. She read the poem clearly and carefully, but fumbled over some of the questions that she was asked about it. Two out of three history questions were fine and the third Kel wasn't entirely sure about, but she gave a faltering answer anyway.

After a brief mathematical test that flew past in a haze of alegbra, the exams were over. Standing nervously she waited for the judges' verdict.

An old man with a jowly face stood up. 'We have now assessed Keladry, challenging her up to the level of a fourth year page. To ensure fairness be reached she received exactly the same questions as Merric of Hollyrose did at the beginning of the summer. We have reached our decision that Keladry of Mindelan has attained the required skills of a fourth year page. It is the wish of Sir Padraig of haMinch that she reconvenes her training as a squire to a knight of the realm.'

Uproar greeted this statement, but Kel didn't care. Finally, after months confined to Corus she would be allowed to ride out and serve the citizens of Tortall.

* * *

Once Kel reluctantly allowed all of her friends to congratulate her, and she had spoken with Padraig haMinch about what was expected of a squire, Kel slipped away. She saddled up Prince and found an empty tilting lane. At the end she hung a ring of metal, something that she'd been meaning to try for a while.

Kel cantered Prince slowly down the lane and slotted her lance neatly through the ring, trying out this new target. Gradually she speeded the exercise up. Several times she missed the ring completely, others she hit it with her lance and it flew out of the way. Kel persevered, concentrating with all her might to slot her lance through that ring.

The idea of this task was to develop her accuracy with the lance. As she improved then she would practise with lighter rings that danced around more in the wind.

It was after one of her rare successes that Kel heard applause. She twisted in her saddle. A big man, dressed in the casual clothes of a country noble, leaned against the fence. Her audience was Raoul of Goldenlake, Dom's commander.

'Still practising? You should be out celebrating by all accounts.'

Kel made a face. 'The more I can improve my jousting before I enter the field the better.'

'To be honest, unless faced with a giant the lance isn't that useful in a battle,' admitted Raoul. 'And you excel with the sword.'

'I practise a great deal with the sword, that's all my lord.'

'Practice is the difference between winning and being worm food,' Raoul told Kel. 'Do you have a moment? I need to discuss something with you.'

'Of course.' Kel dismounted and took Prince's reins into one hand.

'Would you like to be my squire?' he said bluntly. 'If you haven't received an offer from anyone else that is.'

Kel blinked in surprise. Her connection to Raoul had always been through her relationship with Dom. 'But you never take a squire!'

'I did have a squire once, but since I joined the King's Own I haven't needed one.' The large man settled his bulk onto a bench and gestured that Kel do the same. Letting Prince wander off to crop at some grass Kel obeyed.

'We have servants that ride with the Own, and standard-bearers, so I haven't needed a squire.'

Kel's stomach squirmed. Was he taking her out of pity?

'As you know the Yamani ladies have arrived, and next year their majesties plan to take the court on a Grand Progress –do you know what that is?'

'Yes, it's to show Shinko- Princess Shinkokami to the realm, so that the citizens can see their future queen.'

'This means two years of balls, tournaments, banquets and other nonsense.' He shuddered visibly. 'And whilst some useful things will get done, the thought of dealing with every jumped-up, self-important toady in the country, well, servants and standard bearers won't be enough. I know nothing of the Yamanis; I need someone who can speak the language, who appreciates their ways and customs.'

Understanding exploded within Kel. He wasn't taking her as a favour to Dom, Wyldon or Lady Alanna, or even because he felt sorry for her after the Tauros incident. She could be useful to him, in a way that others couldn't be.

'I liked how you handled yourself in the Spidren hunt four years ago. You know when to speak up and when to be quiet. Wyldon and Myles of Olau both tell me that you are a patient and determined worker, not to mention your exceptional skill with the sword. From what Wyldon has told me you are keen to get out in the field, and I'll warn you now that you'll see plenty of combat with us, more than most squires get. The King's Own dispenses the King's justice; we go where we're needed, when we're needed. If you'd prefer another position-'

'I'm not afraid of hard work my lord, nor of combat. I'd be honoured to be your squire.'

'Excellent.' He said, grabbing her hand with his ham-sized one and giving it two firm shakes. 'Bring your mount down to our stables. He'll have to move there anyway and I've got a nice mare I think would suit you.'

'My lord?'

'With the Own, everyone has at least one spare horse,' Raoul said, slinging an arm around Kel's shoulders and leading her out of the yard. 'We practically live in the saddle and it's too much for one horse. You can keep this bruiser for combat.'

Kel wasn't sure of this suggestion; Prince had always carried her well enough before.

'Here we are.' Raoul said, removing his arm from Kel's shoulders. The King's Own insignia was stamped across the door of the stable; a silver blade and crown on a blue field. Kel eyed the horses in the stalls on either side of her. These were some of the finest mounts in the Realm, worth a fortune in horseflesh.

At one time the King's Own had been a showy force, an assignment for wealthy young men. Under Lord Raoul's command and Jonathon's reign, it had become the crown's weapon, the most elite fighting force in the Kingdom after the knights themselves.

'Here we are,' said Lord Raoul, gesturing to an empty stall. Kel led Prince inside and checked the hay net and water, before joining Raoul in the neighbouring stable. A glossy brown mare stared at Kel through gentle eyes. Kel approached the pretty creature and let the mare sniff her palm. She was smaller than Prince, and more delicate with dainty white socks and a star on her forehead.

'Take a look at her.'

Kel didn't need asking twice. She stepped forward and ran her hands over the majestic animal. She checked the mare's teeth, eyes and hooves; they were all sound. Her coat was well groomed and Kel ran her hands over her joints to check for swelling; there was none.

'She's a fine creature,' breathed Kel. She'd probably go on forever. Not that she'd be up to you weight, my lord.' Kel smiled shyly.

'Very well then, as your knight-master I give her to you. What will you call her?'

The mare butted Kel gentle with her star-emblazoned head. 'Hoshi,' said Kel. 'It means star in Yamani.'

* * *

Kel was folding shirts ready for her move to Lord Raoul's quarters when there was a knock on the door. Wondering if it was Dom coming to see her after he'd heard the news, she called 'Come in.'

It wasn't Dom, and to Kel's utter surprise it was Lord Wyldon that stood in the doorframe.

'Mindelan, I was wondering if I could have a word.' The older man edged into the room. 'Now that you've passed your exams I've no reason to stay at the Palace and have been offered a position up on the northern defences. Would you like to come with me as my squire?'

Kel had to fight to keep her jaw from dropping. If Lord Raoul's offer had been a shock, it was nothing compared to what she felt when the same proposition crossed Wyldon's lips. She hadn't even thought that this severe man _liked_ her.

'My lord, I thank you for the offer, I really do, but I've just accepted a position with Lord Raoul of Goldenlake.'

Lord Wyldon blinked.

'And,' Kel paused, summoning up the right words. 'I want to thank you for all your effort that you put into training me. You've no idea how grateful I am. I'm almost back to where I would have been if… What I mean to say is that I don't want you to feel that you owe me anything anymore. What happened, happened. Looking back I'm not sure that I would change things even if I could.' Wyldon's eyes widened in the most shocked expression Kel had ever seen on the stiff man's face. 'Without being sent away from the Palace there would be lots of things that I'd never learned. You've repaid any debt that you felt you owed me in training me these past months.'

'Very well Mindelan,' said Lord Wyldon, his face unreadable. 'Goldenlake is a good man, you will learn a lot from him, and you'll also see a lot of combat.'

'It's what I've trained for,' said Kel quietly. 'I can't sit around Corus any longer.'

'I daresay,' was Wyldon's reply. Was that amusement in his eyes?

'My lord, if I might be so bold, would you consider taking Owen as your squire?'

'Owen, Owen of Jesslaw, that hellion?' His face was pensive. 'All right,' he agreed, 'Tell Squire Jesslaw that I'd like a word when he's free.'

There was a pause.

'Good luck Lady Squire.'

'Thank you,' whispered Kel; coming from Lord Wyldon it meant a lot.

* * *

-a/n- Another chapter that ran away with me! –sighs- There is a lot of ideas crammed into this chapter, but I really didn't want to drag it out over two chapters so there is just a long, busy chapter. I hope it's alright!

I'm not sure when the next update will be. First of all I'll have to catch up with all the work that I've been neglecting over the past few days whilst I've been writing this.

As you can see now I'm trying to tie things nicely into what happened in the books –it was always my intention to have Kel become Lord Raoul's squire. From here, I am going to cover some of the events that happened in 'Squire' but re-writing parts that would be different because of Kel's different experiences. Thus, a lot of the situations you will recognise. Some dialogue might be similar but I promise to keep it interesting –after all you need to see how Kel and Dom handle their relationship etc. There will probably be some larger gaps between chapters in terms of time –I don't really need to rewrite events from the book that remain the same! There might also be whispers of happenings in Scanra etc. Anyway, so that's where this is headed for the next ten chapters or so, I hope you'll continue to enjoy. I'll try to give you estimates of when I'm next going to update on my profile page :D

As always I'd love, love, some feedback from you, it makes all these hours worth it!

**Confusedknight xx **


	57. Riding out

**-a/n-** Need I even say it? I'm _so, so, so __**sorry**_ about the delay in updating. I'm not even meant to be writing now, but I can't bear it any longer! Life is a little bit ridiculous with the amount of work and I doubt it'll get much better over the next few months. –sighs- I'll update sporadically until the summer –when I _am_ going to finish this fic once and for all!

I hope you'll continue to follow this fic –in the midst of so much revision your reviews are the only things that are keeping my brain focused on writing.

Although there will be many scenes/ideas from 'Squire' that you recognise (and I do not take _any_ credit for TP's mastery at all) I'm trying to explore the concept that some conversations/fights/scenes could be so similar and yet others different, how Kel is still essentially Kel, and yet her character has evolved in a different way…

Anyway, I hope this is worth the wait,

The very, very tired, **Confusedknight xxx**

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Kel sat down and viewed her knight-master through unreadable eyes. She had moved her meagre amount of possessions into the room adjoining his in just two short trips. Her crumpled shirts and breeches had only half-filled a chest of drawers and the wardrobe remained completely empty. The only decoration in the room was Kel's armour that now sat on a special rack bolted to the wall. All in all, the room had a rather empty feeling about it. Not that Kel minded; she hoped that not much time would be spent at the Palace anyway.

'Kel…' said Lord Raoul awkwardly, fiddling with a letter opener that lay on his desk. 'It is my understanding that you and Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle are…involved with each other.'

Kel nodded, wary of where the conversation was headed.

'I hear this from women of the Queen's Riders, the ones who want to be respected enough to lead and command. Men of this time are required to fight alongside females, but from what I've heard if they take men as lovers, and it's found out, they encounter trouble. There are no laws or rules that prevent you from conducting a relationship, but it invariably turns out with both parties being mocked and the woman gets treated like a trollop.'

Kel studied her hands. She wanted a chance to talk things over with Dom.

'Nobody makes men surrender their private life when they take up arms, Kel,' Raoul said, pouring her some grape juice. 'We only ask that it doesn't interfere with their duties. It's more complicated for women, especially for you in what appears to be a unique position. It's not fair, but I think you already know the world isn't.'

Kel nodded, sipping gently. She suddenly felt a rush of warmth towards the man who was currently fiddling with objects on his desk. How many other knight-masters would have done this hurtfully? Or left Kel to entangle herself in a mess so great that she would never get out of it?

'I understand, sir, and I'll talk to Dom tonight.'

'That's all I wanted you to do,' replied Raoul, relief in his tone. 'I cannot make decisions for you, and nor do I wish to make them. Use your own judgement of the matter; I sense it hasn't led you astray thus far.'

'Thank you, my Lord,' Kel ducked her head.

'Another thing that was pointed out to me earlier today, and I think you should be warned about is that the court gossips will have me in bed with you before the day is done.' A slight flush entered Raoul's cheeks.

This didn't pose much of a problem to Kel, who shrugged. 'I don't have a reputation to speak of anyway, sir. If I had wanted one then I would never have picked the warrior's path.' She paused for a moment, 'And what of your reputation?'

'Oh they've had me in bed with other men for years,' said Raoul good-naturedly. 'And the conservatives dislike me anyway for the way that I run the own.' He raised his goblet of grape juice 'Here's to our reputations as warriors and nothing else.'

Kel toasted her glass with a small smile on her face; she and Raoul were going to get on just fine.

* * *

About halfway through the afternoon a Bazhir named Qasim, whom Kel recognised from the spidren hunt came to assess her gear.

'Your armour is unusual,' he commented, handing it to Raoul who examined it carefully.

'The metal working is flawless; this must've cost a fortune.'

'I won a tournament,' said Kel vaguely, 'and this armour is light, strong and allows me large amounts of movement.'

'Well company armour would certainly drown you,' Qasim said, handing Kel's helm back to her. 'What weapons do you have?'

Kel unsheathed Courage, handing it to the corporal. She then went to fetch her second sword off of the weapons rack, along with her glaive. Kel laid her old sword down, and slipped a couple of her daggers out from their sheaths, placing them on the desk too.

The weapons were all examined, Qasim unable to hide his amazement at Courage.

'Two swords?' Raoul merely asked.

'It has proved useful in the past,' Kel replied.

Raoul surveyed the assortment of weapons. 'So you'll need a small axe, bow and a shield. I'm having a Goldenlake shield made, but that takes a week. Which are you better at, longbow or crossbow?'

'I'm best with a recurve,' Kel admitted, 'like the ones that the Riders use.'

'That's not a problem,' said Qasim, noting her request on a sheet of paper. 'Long weapons?' he asked.

Kel grimaced, 'My lance work isn't the best.'

'They're good for giants and ogres and little else,' said Raoul, brushing her comment aside. 'Most of us carry spears –'

'Some use halberds,' a new voice added to the conversation.

'Flyn, Captain Flyndan Whiteford is my second in command,' Raoul introduced.

Kel nodded, noting that the man's thin-lipped, slightly disapproving expression.

'Would I be allowed to use my glaive?' asked Kel, more confident in her ability with her second best weapon.

Raoul picked up the five-foot-long staff, swinging it in a circle. He extended his arm, balancing the glaive upon a single finger. 'Hey, Flyn, look here.' The weapon remained steadily horizontal.

'What is this glaive?' Flyndan asked, speaking to Kel for the first time.

'It is a weapon for Yamani noblewomen; since I lived at court I learned too.'

'Can you use it? It looks awkward for a-' Flyndan swallowed the word he had been about to say, and finished with 'youngster.'

Kel took the weapon back from Lord Raoul, cleared a space and began one of the pattern dances that she had been practising that morning. The blade was a blur as it cut through the air, easily shifting direction until Kel brought it to a halt with the blade stopping millimetres away from the back of an ornamental chair.

'May I?' Kel handed the weapon to the Captain, who almost dropped it; he'd been unprepared for the weight.

'That will suffice for a long weapon,' said Raoul calmly.

Kel began to re-sheath her assortment of weapons.

'I already chose you a tent and a bedroll,' said Qasim, regarding his list. 'All that remains is tack for your new mount and some uniform.'

'The seams mistress should be sending up a few Goldenlake tunics later on this evening and you can visit the supplies store for plain shirts and brown breeches.'

'An extra pair of shoes, waterproofs and a company cloak,' Qasim read out. 'If you come with me Squire Keladry then I'll show you where the store is.'

Kel stowed her armour and glaive safely away before hurrying after the corporal.

* * *

'And how is the newest member of the King's Own?' a familiar voice floated across the room.

Kel looked up from her folding in time to see Dom shut the door behind him. He gestured silently at the door that connected Kel's room to her knight-master's.

'He left about five minutes ago,' said Kel, 'summoned by his Majesty.'

'Well that's never a good sign,' Dom sighed, a frown flitting across his face, 'we could be riding out sooner than expected.'

Kel straightened up and perched her behind on the desk.

'Dom we need to talk.'

'I know, what did Raoul say?'

'How do you know about that?'

'I didn't,' said Dom shortly, 'but I've known my Lord for a while now, it's what he would do.'

'He said that women who involve themselves romantically get treated like dirt,' said Kel, carefully shrouding all emotion from her voice.

Dom walked over to Kel until there was hardly a foot gap left between them. 'It's your choice Kel,' he brushed a tendril of hair gently from her face.

'Will you wait?' asked Kel, meeting Dom's eyes directly.

Dom nodded slowly, and cupping her face he kissed her lips lightly. 'We can keep this a secret.'

'I'm good at keeping secrets,' Kel smiled, brushing her own lips across his tenderly.

There was a loud noise as the door in the neighbouring room was flung wide and Kel pushed herself off of the desk. Dom stepped backwards as there was a knock on the door.

'Come in,' Kel called.

Raoul poked his ruddy face around the door. 'There's been news of a raided village, get your things together; we ride in an hour. Sergeant Domitan,' Dom stood to attention, 'Rally your squad and any others you can find.'

'Yes Sir.'

Raoul disappeared back into his room and could be heard armouring up.

Dom grimaced, 'It'll be bad if the King is sending the whole company. Prepare yourself.'

Kel's face was set, 'You'd better go.'

Dom nodded and left with an urgency about his step that Kel rarely saw.

As Kel pulled on her chain-mail lined breeches thoughts tumbled through her head. There was almost an odd feeling of relief, finally she would be back out fighting again, but mingled in with this was apprehension at what lay ahead. Kel had seen raided villages before; both Scanran, Tortallan and Yamani, but could one ever prepare themselves for the destruction and death that lay ahead? Kel shook her head, better to concentrate on the present; there was no use worrying.

Kel slipped her mail top on, covered it with a white linen shirt and one of her new green Goldenlake tunics. She fitted the breastplate snugly to her torso and buckled the straps deftly. Kel settled her second sword her right hip and checked that her daggers were all in place. On went her worn, comfortable leather boots, her new wrist guards and the burnous-style cloak that all the men of the Own wore.

She stuffed spare sets of clothes into a pack that lay on the foot of her bed and collected her shield. She was just scraping back her hair, fastening it securely with leather ties and a band of material, when her knight-master came through the door. Raoul, looking larger than ever in his armour, beckoned to Kel, who grabbed her pack, helmet, shield and glaive and left the room without a backwards glance.

* * *

Raoul showed her the supply wagon and Kel stowed her pack safely amongst the others before being instructed to collect both her horses.

Kel had to duck and weave in and out of the crowd of men, all dressed smartly in the uniform of the King's Own. Each man of the company had two horses and the clamour around the stables, as two hundred horses were being readied to ride was tremendous.

By the time Kel had reached her own horses, both Hoshi and Prince had already been tacked up, presumably by one of the many hostlers that were dashing from stable to stable. Kel fastened her glaive and shield onto Hoshi's saddle and took the reins in one hand. She would have liked to have ridden Prince, but Raoul had instructed her to save him for battle.

Kel leaned forward to pat her faithful mount, pressing her face to his large head and inhaling the sweet scent of horse.

'You be good,' Kel instructed him. 'I want to have you with me if it comes to a fight.' Prince blew out through his velveteen lips and Kel smiled, feeling personally that whatever people might say, animals understood a lot more than most gave them credit for.

'Spare mount?' the stable hand didn't even wait for an answer before clipping a lead rein onto Prince and taking him away. He would be placed in a string of the remounts at the back of the company.

Sighing, but still confident that Hoshi was a trustworthy animal, Kel pulled on her helmet. She glanced around her. It was a scene that felt slightly surreal. In the late afternoon's light the dying sun's rays glinted off of glittering mail and helmets. The men, most of them aged under thirty, were awaiting orders from their sergeants. While they waited most checked girths and weapons, seemingly relaxed and yet focused on the task.

Kel breathed out slowly. She was about to ride out with the Realm's most respected fighting force. _Please don't let Raoul regret taking me on,_ Kel thought.

She could hear the voices floating over on the light wind.

'Who's the youngster?'

'Our commander has taken on a squire,' sneered a voice. 'The girl.'

'She did win the tournament,' someone else volunteered.

'Tournament winner or not, she's as green as grass.'

Kel blocked out the unfriendly voices, letting her usual determination bolster her. _Let's show them who's green or not, _she thought, swinging up onto Hoshi.

'My squad are ready to go,' Dom told Kel as he approached from behind on his dappled-grey horse. 'Are you all set?' Kel nodded, watching as Dom cast a glance over her attire.

She had seen Dom in his uniform before, but he had never seen her in anything more than shirt and breeches. 'That doesn't look like company-issue armour-' he was cut off by a horn that blared across the yard.

There was a great scrambling as all the remaining men mounted up.

'Welcome to the Own, Kel,' he clapped her on the shoulder and nudged his horse forward to rejoin his squad.

Raoul beckoned Kel over as the men formed two columns. 'Time to get going,' he told Kel, 'ride on my left.'

The huge knight raised one gloved hand and brought it down. Without any fuss the company moved forward, Kel a beat behind. They made their way down the hill towards the gate of the palace, the gentle rumbling of at least eight-hundred hooves behind them.

To those that lined the streets of Corus, it made an impressive sight; the mounted men in blue, silver and white. Kel smiled inside her helmet at the children who waved madly from their parent's shoulders. She resisted the urge to wave back, and instead looked ahead to the city gate.

Once they passed through the gates, across the bridge and into the sprawling countryside, they followed the Conte Road southwest and into the forest. Men came up the column, handing out burning torches that gave off a flickering light to illuminate the near surroundings of an almost pitch black forest.

'We'll most likely be riding through the night,' Raoul informed her. 'It took the messenger the best part of a day to reach Corus.'

'I thought they could use mages to relay important messages?' Kel asked.

'Mage was killed,' Raoul said dourly. 'We've reports of at least twenty dead, maybe more. The boy that got away was given a horse and told to run. Apparently there was Immortal involvement.'

Kel suppressed a shudder. Of all the horrific things that she'd seen and experienced in Scanra, at least none had involved Immortals.

Raoul started up a conversation with Flyndan to his right and Kel let herself retreat inside her thoughts. About three hours into the ride, they stopped at a river to let the horses drink. Kel took Amberfire and Hoshi to a quiet patch on the riverbank, smiling at Raoul's exasperated expression; she was determined to fulfil her duties regardless of where they were.

'My Lord only took you on because he felt sorry for you,' a rather rude voice interrupted Kel's thoughts. She looked up to find the snub-nosed standard-bearer looking distastefully down at her. 'I usually do his chores, _I'm_ good at it.'

Kel did not respond to this comment; she had expected this attitude and knew that he would not be the only one resentful of Kel's place with Raoul. Checking that both horses and drunk their fill, Kel gathered up their reins and turned to leave.

'Excuse me,' she said politely, but the standard-bearer didn't budge, instead reaching out to grip her arm. Kel reacted instinctively and twisted her wrist, digging her thumb and forefinger onto a delicate pressure point on the man's hand. He released her instantly, taking a step back.

'Watch yourself _squire,_ Wyldon got rid of you once, who's to say that we won't do the same?' And he stalked off, leaving Kel alone with the horses.

As Kel was returning Amberfire to Raoul, she met Qasim who offered her a meat-stuffed turnover which Kel accepted gratefully.

'That was Lerant of Eldorne,' said the Bazhir carefully. 'He applied for positions in the army and the navy even though he was noble born,' Kel listened attentively, although not sure where the tale was headed. 'No one would take him on. Not after his Aunt's treason. My Lord heard of it and offered Lerant a job in the Own. He has proven to be a good fighter and is devoted to my Lord.'

'Ah,' Kel breathed, understanding suddenly.

'He will come round,' said the Bazhir, 'give him time.'

Kel nodded and watched as Qasim disappeared into the milling crowd. She led Amberfire back to Raoul, who thanked her and mounted up. Kel scrambled to follow him and like a wave the men followed suit. They rode on into the night.

* * *

Kel smelt the wrecked village before she saw it; smouldering wood and the smell of something far worse; burnt flesh. Memories assaulted her in a hideous wave. An image of a snow-covered village swam in front of her eyes, crimson stains and splashes marring the scene. Children with their insides pooled around them, men with heads detached from their bodies…

Kel blinked hard, once, twice and then three times to bring herself back to the cool Tortallan morning. She wasn't in Scanra; there was no Alex, no snow, just a forest, still except for the tramping of one hundred men, the Knight Commander and his squire.

Hoshi picked her way carefully up the slope next to Amberfire, needing no direction from Kel. The forest was too quiet and Kel's heart sped up in anticipation of what lay over the ridge. She laid a hand on Courage's hilt, comforted by its solid feel under her hand. They crested the rise and Kel's eyes scanned the village and the woods beyond it for any sign of movement.

Stillness, an unbelievable stillness lay over the scene and Kel's heart sunk. The blackened shells of what had once been village buildings smoked gently in the early morning light, wisps of grey tumbling up through the air.

'Damn,' muttered Raoul, who had evidently been hoping to find survivors picking through the remains of their ruined lives.

'Volorin, Balim, take the perimeter. I want this area secured and the trail picked up,' he called in a voice that carried over the clear air. 'We have hunting to do,' he muttered under his breath.

A thirst for vengeance burned in Kel. The last time she had visited a village like this, she and Alex had been able to do little more than bury the dead. The two of them couldn't possibly have hunted down the army. This time was different, this time _she_ was in the army and Kel knew from the expression on the men's faces that they wouldn't rest properly until the perpetrators were brought to justice.

Raoul named other squads who set about tending to the animals, sending messages back to the King and unpacking their food. Kel followed her knight-master down into the village, having lost any desire to eat. Huddled shapes could be seen on the village green or slumped outside doors to buildings.

One squad swept through the village just to be sure, but they quickly hand-signalled to Raoul that there were no survivors.

'Dom get your squad digging,' Raoul instructed with a heavy voice. 'We need to clear up here within the hour and get on that trail fast.'

Kel took off her helmet and set it to one side as many of the men had done, shaking out the hair that had been itching her neck. Raoul was discussing something with Flyndan and didn't appear to need her so Kel set off across the ruined village. The faster the dead were buried, the faster they could chase after the killers.

Several men were analysing the foot and hoof prints on the dusty earth, discussing in low voices the estimated numbers. Kel stepped past them and across to a man whose belly had been cut. She closed his sightless eyes, shooing away the flies that had settled on his dried blood.

A shadow fell across the man's face. Kel looked up into the face of a young Bazhir man. She gestured that he take the arms. Kel rolled up her sleeves and together they lifted the fallen man, carrying him across the village and laying him gently down next to a plump woman who could've been asleep had it not been for the arrow protruding from her throat.

The bodies were a day old and had already begun to smell, leaving Kel feeling sick to the stomach. Gritting her teeth she carried on with the task at hand. No conversation flowed between her and her partner as they piled the dead ready for burial.

In Scanra, the custom was to burn the dead, supposedly so that their bodies were free to float on the wind. In Tortall the remains of the villagers would be buried under earth, left to rot and enrich the soil. Either way, Kel supposed it wasn't much relief for the relatives, just a small mark of respect.

The fractured buildings, damaged beyond repair by rampant flames were pulled to the ground using ropes and harnesses. Anything salvageable was pulled to once side and then the rubble left was torched, creating billowing clouds of smoke.

The burial crew had finished digging two long trenches and Kel helped her silent partner to pass down the body of a young boy. The digger looked up. It was Dom, a shocked expression on his face. Had he not expected her to help with the dirty, unpleasant tasks? Kel defiantly set the young boy in the earthen grave and returned with her partner to collect another body.

As she did so, Raoul called Kel over to him.

'What do you make of these tracks?'

Kel squatted down and peered forward. She traced the prints in the dusty earth with dirty, blood-encrusted hands. 'Shod horses,' Kel muttered, 'about ten or so who probably bore men. But these prints-' she stretched forward, her eyes darting across the ground, 'Centaur hoof prints?'

Raoul nodded, 'We estimate at least twelve centaurs; there are some more tracks over here. There is also evidence of Hurrok involvement,' said Raoul grimly.

Kel winced; Hurroks were large winged horses with claws instead of hooves. Even for veteran warriors a Hurrok was an extremely tough opponent. 'They didn't stand a chance,' said Kel quietly.

Raoul nodded sombrely. 'We've made contact with two rider groups in the area. Their ponies are much better at tracking through forest than our heavy cavalry. As soon as they arrive we'll start the hunt.'

'It's been almost a day, Sir,' Kel pointed out.

'A big group like that won't disappear; they'll have left tracks, have a camp somewhere, we'll find them in the end.'

He offered Kel a hand to stand up. Kel grasped the huge fist and felt herself being lifted almost off her feet.

'Thanks.'

Kel was just releasing her grip on Raoul when suddenly he grabbed her wrist and held it in place. Suppressing the urge to twist and perform a move that would release her hand, Kel looked up into the Knight's troubled face. Raoul was staring at her exposed left forearm.

Set white against her tan read; **LO258. **When he finally looked up at her face, his eyes were filled with a question that Kel wasn't ready to answer. Kel pulled her arm away and this time Raoul didn't resist. She gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. 'It was a long time ago,' she mumbled.

Kel didn't look up from the ground, not wanting to see Raoul's face. She wanted to at least try and explain; for he would almost inevitably come to the conclusion that Kel had been captured by slave traders and that was why she hadn't returned for so long. It reality, it was so much more complicated, and how could she let those close to her in on some aspects of her 'missing years' without revealing just how involved and how much she knew about the goings on in Scanra? Best to say nothing at all.

The awkward moment passed when there was a great clattering of metal overhead. Kel jumped and drew her sword instinctively. Three Stormwings circled lazily above the village and as Kel watched one of them dived down onto the row of unburied bodies.

Anger raced through Kel, who shouted out and began to make for the Stormwing. A ham-sized fist clapped down on her shoulder. Her eyes blazing, Kel turned around.

'Let it be,' said Raoul gently. Kel looked back at the Stormwing to see that the men on burial duty had already sent the Immortal climbing awkwardly back into the sky.

'That filthy, piece of-'

'They are who they were made to be,' Raoul pointed out. 'They were created from dreams in an attempt to prevent mortals from going to war.'

'Some wars need to be fought, my Lord,' said Kel reigning in her temper. 'And those people over there,' she gestured with her arm, 'they weren't part of any war. They're victims of greed, both mortal and Immortal. I'll happily let the Stormwings piss on their killers, but those villagers deserve more respect.'

A horn blared through the camp.

'The riders,' said Raoul, looking thoughtfully at his Squire. 'Well said Kel,' he nodded once and strode off to meet the newcomers.

Kel stayed where she was, thinking. She was surprised that Raoul didn't think her outburst was insubordinate and Kel chastised herself mentally for saying too much.

Watching from afar, she saw Raoul greet the two Rider Group Commanders. Kel was unsure of what she should do; was she meant to follow Raoul and see how he handled the Riders, or should she go back to help with the burials?

This problem was solved when Raoul beckoned her over. As Kel hurried forwards Raoul called out in a booming voice, 'Squad leaders.' Kel waited at Raoul's elbow for the ten men to join them. As she did so, Raoul did the introductions.

'This is Josef, leader of the fifth rider group.'

'We're called th'Clouds, and this 'ere is Marsun of Razors.'

'The thirteenth group,' Raoul added. 'This is my Squire, Keladry of Mindelan.'

'Figured as much,' said Josef, 'Seeings as how she's in Goldenlake colours an' all.'

'Pleased to meet you,' said Marsun jovially.

Kel shook the offered hands and then stepped back, allowing the men of the King's Own to join them. Subtly she examined the two newcomers. They both wore plain white shirts with brown tunics and trousers. Around the rider insignia on their chests was a crimson ring; the ring that marked them out as Group Commanders.

'Listen up,' said Raoul and silence fell.

'We know that yesterday morning a raiding group composed of roughly thirty Immortals and bandits ransacked this village. They took anything of value, including all livestock. With that lot they won't be moving too quickly and will be looking for a place to hole up or another village to rob.

The Razors and Clouds will track them covertly and we'll follow behind, taking whatever larger roads there are in the vicinity. The mages will keep in close contact. Dom, Volorin, get your men to finish up here and catch us later. We can't wait any longer. If we ride hard till nightfall, we'll have caught up a lot of ground, then we can reassess the situation depending on where they've headed and lay an ambush. Any questions?'

No one spoke up.

'Right, let's bring these mud-suckers to bay.'

The group dispersed and Kel went to ready Amberfire for Raoul, only to find that Lerant had already done it. Ignoring the smug look on his face, Kel thanked the Standard-bearer sweetly and vaulted into Hoshi's saddle.

Within five minutes the company was on the move, leaving as calmly as they had arrived. Kel fought the urge to yawn and settled down in the saddle, wiping her filthy hands on her breeches. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Just before sunset Raoul received word from the Rider groups of another plundered village. Kel straightened up in the saddle, and her hands went to the weapons at her waist, just the feel of them comforting her.

When they arrived at Littlecreek village there was a reassuring humdrum of activity. Unlike the silent death-filled streets of the first village there were many survivors, the bigger, better-protected village had put up a fight and the raiders had decided to scarper.

The company healers were immediately put to work on the casualties of the fight whilst Raoul instructed the rest of the men to set up camp for the night. Kel listened in to the discussion between Raoul and the headman of the village before wandering away down the busy streets.

Several houses were smoke-blackened but the infrastructure remained in tact, owing largely to fire-repelling mage charms. Walking slowly through the village Kel saw the decided resolve on every face; they would rebuild what they had lost. They had been lucky with only two fatalities, compared to the massacre that Kel had seen earlier that day.

Out of the corner of her eye Kel saw something move in the gap between two houses and a crate teetered precariously on top of another. Warily she moved into the alleyway. Settling down to a crouch Kel blinked, peering through the darkness. She could just make out the reflections from a pair of eyes blinking back at her.

'It's alright,' Kel called, softening her accent somewhat to match the country lilt. 'You can come out.' As Kel's eyes grew accustomed to the dusk she could make out the shape of a small boy.

'Do you live in Littlecreek?' Kel asked settling back until she too sat cross-legged in the dirt.

'Mm,' the boy made the tiniest of sounds.

'We've come to help, it's alright, and we're going to catch those that made all this mess.'

'Who're you?'

'My name's Kel, I'm with the King's Own.'

'They don't let girls in the King's Own,' pointed out the boy suspiciously.

'Well I'm not actually in the King's Own, I'm Squire to Lord Raoul.'

'The Giantkiller?'

Kel nodded, amused at how Raoul's reputation preceded him. 'If you come out then you'll be able to see him.'

Slowly the boy extricated himself from his hole. 'I hid cos I was scared,' he said, 'When all thems horses come, I though' tha' they had come back.'

'It's alright,' soothed Kel, getting up and dusting herself off. 'Shall we go and find your ma?'

The small boy blinked up at her, he couldn't have been more than seven years old. Kel bent down and scooped him up gently, settling him over a mail-clad hip.

'Sorry about the armour,' she said, starting to walk forward.

'You look like thems warriors in the stories that pa tells us.'

Kel smiled. 'Maybe when you're older you'll look like a warrior too.'

'But I got scared,' the boy mumbled.

'Even warriors get scared sometimes,' said Kel. 'Even frequently, the most important thing is that you continue to do the right thing, even though you're scared. Can you do that?'

He nodded, resting his chin upon Kel's shoulder.

'Good boy. Where do you live?' The little boy straightened up and pointed with a podgy, soot-stained finger towards the west of the town.

By the time Kel reached the boy's home, her arms were beginning to ache.

'Brogan,' shouted a relieved voice.

'Ma,' cried the boy, who ran to his mother.

'I hope he wasn't causing no trouble,' the woman apologised.

'Not at all,' Kel assured her. 'We had a nice chat didn't we Brogan?'

The boy nodded shyly. Kel waved goodbye and then returned to the King's Own camp.

'Where've you been?' asked Raoul.

'Returning lost children,' smiled Kel.

* * *

**-a/n-** Feedback? Opinions? Thoughts? I'd love to hear from you :D

This is really the first half of a chapter, but the chapter grew so long that I had to split it…This means that there is already nearly another completed chapter which should be up within a couple of days :D

If you want something to do to pass the time until then, go check out the forum run by some lovely people; 'The Ficship competitions'. There are recommended stories there, plots up for auction or just some general chat –everyone welcome!

Please leave a review, no matter how short it is I'd still love to know that you're more than a statistic on my 'traffic page'!

**Confusedknight xxx**


	58. Hunting

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! For all your lovely reviews…Although I didn't get this chapter up as quickly as I'd planned too (makes a change, eh?) I'm glad that I decided to separate the two, I think as this stepped into a new stage of the story I needed to find my footing with mixing some of TP's stuff and my own ideas, learning an important lesson –to stick with my own style because I didn't like the choppiness in some places…anyway…enough analysis.

I will mention one point on the timelines. Yes we are a year ahead, so events that happened in the first year of Squire have already happened, _however_, Squire misses a year, so I'm still playing around with events and where they should fit!

Hope you enjoy this one,

**Confusedknight xxx**

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* * *

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The mess tent was packed and despite not having eaten anything all day, Kel decided that she would rather wait than elbow her way through the crowd.

They had set up a temporary camp in Littlecreek and would stay just long enough for the men and horses to rest before pursuing the renegade bandits and Immortals.

Kel ducked outside to find Raoul, who had settled his bulk on a stool in front of one of the massive campfires that was illuminating the dark night. He was joined by Flyndan and other Squad leaders, the Rider group commanders, what appeared to be the most important men of the village and a short woman with straight black hair and golden skin that reflected the dancing light of the fire.

'Would you like anything, my Lord?' Kel asked, wondering if she should be serving drinks for this small gathering.

'No, come and sit down,' Raoul replied between mouthfuls of the company-issued soup.

Kel nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor.

'We're going to use a pretty standard trap,' Raoul explained, mopping up the dregs of his soup with some bread. 'Third company rides through, with the Rider groups scouting to our left and right. Their little ponies will cover the rougher terrain whilst we take whatever tracks we can find. As soon as we have a location then we'll split and send half the company around to their rear.' He paused to swallow.

'And the other half will drive them straight into the trap?' Kel guessed.

Raoul nodded appreciatively, 'It's worked before. If we make a lot of noise then the bandits always think they're two steps ahead. Then we close the net and haul them of to face the Crown's justice.'

'It'll be the gallows for them,' said one villager savagely.

Kel shuddered; she hated any form of execution. It was a horrible thought that the condemned knew about the time and date of their death. Kel would much rather die suddenly, with no time to contemplate the past or feel regret for opportunities missed.

Flyndan, perceptive to Kel's shudder, misunderstood its meaning.

'That's right, girl, it's not all glamour and glory in the Own. You should've taken a desk knight if you don't want the mud slogging work.'

'Stop it Flyn,' Raoul said, his tone commanding. 'Kel was out there with the burial duty today; don't judge her before you see her fight.'

'I know, I know, she's a damn good fencer. But fencing isn't the same as fighting or killing. You'd think she'd have this warrior thing out of her system by now.' Flyndan got up and carried his dishes away.

Raoul looked at her, his gaze questioning.

'It's nothing I haven't heard before,' said Kel curtly.

'Well he should learn to keep his opinions to himself,' growled the dark-haired woman, who Kel now saw wore the Rider's uniform, a gold ring around the emblem on her tunic. It was Buriram Tourakom, Commander of the Queen's Riders.

'He's not the easiest second-in-command, but he's good at it,' commented Dom. 'Flyn will let up, once he sees that this isn't just a hobby for you.'

'I don't need to be liked. I just want to work.' Kel told Dom, disliking the pity in his eyes.

'Kel this is Buri, Commander of the Queen's riders.' Raoul introduced.

'Me and Askew were in the district and thought we'd join this little excursion,' the woman grinned, displaying a set of small neatly arranged teeth.

'Askew is the seventeenth rider group,' said Raoul. Kel filed this information away, not wanting it to be explained again. It was a useful technique that she had picked up from riding with Alex. She had had to learn ways of remembering facts and information about the Scanran customs and language so that she could recall them at half a second's notice.

'Who wants some of this fresh stew?' asked a voice with a thick accent. It was one of the village ladies, who opened up a huge pot that Kel hadn't noticed before. There were acceptances from the village men, but she saw the Tortallan warriors all shaking their heads politely.

'My Lord?' asked the woman.

Raoul declined with a regretful tone, saying that he'd already eaten his fill.

'What about you?' The woman's beady eyes focused on Kel. 'You're all skin and bone.'

'I would love some.' Kel replied, knowing that it would be insulting if none of the visitors ate the prepared meal.

Dom and Raoul watched with a slightly incredulous expression as Kel tucked into the watery brown coloured food. It was hot and salty. The meat was tough and required a lot of chewing and the vegetables or whatever else had been added to the mix had disengaged into a grainy paste, but Kel had eaten worse and the woman beamed as she tucked into the meal.

One by one, other Squad leaders arrived and the meeting began. Kel contributed nothing to the discussion but listened attentively. There was a lot to learn from Raoul, and not all of it involved fighting and tactics. There was also the way in which he dealt with the men; listening to their ideas and at the same time having the authority and confidence to finalise the plans.

Kel sat next to Raoul until the meeting ending, many hours later. With tiredness saturating her every bone she sought out her bedroll. Raoul and the other commanders had been offered rooms at the Inn, so Kel had slunk away, not to set up a tent, but to find Prince. That night she slept next to her horse, for the first time in many, many months, feeling safe settled against his warm mass.

* * *

Although Kel had thought she'd known quite a lot about tracking, the next week saw her knowledge expand exponentially. Whilst initially, the bandits had moved fast and clumsily, aiming to get as far away from the looted villages as quickly as possible, now sensing perhaps that they were begin tracked, the robbers began to mask their trail by walking over streams and rocks. They often split into five groups or more, separating to confuse the trail and forcing the King's Own to split into squads.

If the robbers were the hunted, desperate to escape, then the men of the Own were the dogged terriers, pursuing them day and night. The feeling of clean clothes once again faded into a memory as Kel rode as hard as the rest of the men. If she did get a chance to wash her shirt then she wore it wet until it dried. Her hair was scraped back in one sun-bleached tangle and freckles littered her skin, seeming to multiply daily.

It was tough, it was unpleasant, but despite her physical discomfort Kel was satisfied, relieved to be on the road with a task at hand. She knew that she could continue on; having much worse memories of working as a slave to compare it to. When they ran out of insect-repelling lotion Kel bore the bites and itches stoically. When food rationing was imposed, Kel barely noticed, not having much of an appetite in the first place.

Moving as fast as they were, there was barely time to set up a proper camp each night. Many men slept under the starry heavens on dry nights and Kel joined them, curling up next to Prince.

In the mornings, before they moved out, Kel practised her swordplay without fail. She tended to do this before the men were awake; it provoked less staring this way. On the occasions that Raoul caught her doing this, he had looked at her with an odd expression on his face.

Kel suspected that he was relieved that she was keeping up with the gruelling pace, removing any doubts he might've had about her. This suspicion was confirmed by odd thankful grins when Kel performed the tasks set without fuss. She dug latrines, took her own fair share of sentry duty and was even allowed to ride along with a rider group for an afternoon.

From both the Riders and the men of the Own, Kel heard about the pranks usually played between the two groups of warriors. On this hunt however, the days were too long and the mood too serious to contemplate jokes and trickery.

Finally, on the tenth night since leaving the Palace, excited whisperings surged through the company. Kel, who had been riding next to Qasim, sat up straighter. The word was that the bandits planned to attack the town of Stonescross next. If this were true, if it really was a genuine piece of information, then it could mean the end of this punishing hunt.

That evening the Commanders all gathered around a table spread with maps of Stonescross and its surrounding area. Kel was scuttling around preparing a special tea that contained revitalising herbs. From the snippets of conversation which she overheard there were several rich cider traders holed up in the village; too ripe a target for the bandits to refuse, especially since some of their loot had had to have been dumped on their flight.

There were heated discussions, calculations of the bandits speed; would it be possible to overtake them in time to drive them into the planned trap? According to the detailed map, the town was nestled in a between two knolls in the landscape; potentially providing a way for the Own to sneak around unnoticed.

Sergeant Volorin, who knew the town, confirmed that it would be an excellent location for an ambush.

'We've got them,' murmured Buri, her dark eyes glittering.

'It's decided. In the morn we split,' said Raoul. 'Flyn will take fifty of the men and ride fast, taking up a position behind and in Stonescross. The rest of us will drive the swine into the trap.' He looked around at the other men who nodded in agreement.

As the meeting broke up, fat drops of rain began to tumble out of the sky, sparking a flurry of activity. No one wanted to sleep outside when it was wet, even if the canopy of trees did provide some shelter.

'You can sleep in the second compartment of my tent tonight,' offered Raoul, who slung an arm around his weary squire and lead her back to the largest of all the canvas tents. 'In here,' he pulled aside a flap.

Kel just about managed to collect her bed roll, pull off her boots and crawl under the blanket before she fell asleep.

* * *

In her dreams Kel became the hunted animal, pursued by the blonde giant who had broken her wrist at Somalkt. She was being chased through a system of underground caves similar to the home of the Sekholm. Her feet pounded an erratic rhythm on the granite floor, her heart pumping in her chest as she ran for her life. Rounding a corner Kel hurtled out into daylight. She skidded to a halt and looked wildly around; there was nowhere to run to.

A familiar nightmare enveloped her; Alex was separated from her by a thriving mass of red-bedecked soldiers. Even as she opened her voice to yell, it was no good. Fighters pressed in at her from all sides. Kel hacked and hacked at the lifeless bodies but even fatal blows could not stop the lifeless corpses from inching closer and closer, blocking her way to Alex...

'Kel, Kel,' Raoul's voice sounded through her panicked haze.

In her dream Kel looked around wildly, had the King's Own come to help? Someone was shaking her shoulder. At last her eyes flew open and at the same instant she unsheathed her knife, disorientated.

'Hey Kel, It's only me,' said Raoul, sitting back on his haunches and eyeing the knife in her hand. Kel squinted through the dark; it was her knight-master, as fully dressed as she was.

'Sorry, Sir,' Kel's voice was muffled. She sat up properly, sheathing the blade and pulling her knees up to her chest.

Raoul seated himself at the end of her bed roll, giving Kel the space that she needed. 'Nervous about tomorrow?' he asked.

Kel shook her head, thankful to concentrate on something other than her terrifying dream. 'It's time to show them the force of the King's justice.'

Raoul nodded in agreement and after a moment's pause said; 'Kel I've decided to place you under Flyn's command tomorrow.'

Kel's eyes widened, slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be amongst the party that drove the renegade troupe into the trap.

'Don't you want to know why I'm sending you with Flyn?'

'Sir, I'm meant to obey without question,' Kel pointed out.

Raoul snorted, 'That's fine in theory if you want to be a foot soldier in an army all your life, following your superiors. But I would hope that one day you'd be giving orders of your own, and when that time comes it's useful to know why you were asked to do particular things; it helps you to benefit from the experience.' Kel thought back to the hundred or so men that she'd ended up leading on the plains of Somalkt and felt a slight stab of annoyance that she couldn't simply say just how much fighting experience she had. She took a second to banish the feeling away.

'You want Flyn to see that I'm serious about the work,' Kel said shrewdly.

'Partly,' Raoul admitted. 'He's likely give you menial tasks that no one else wants to do, but I think Flyn needs to know that you'll take orders from a commoner, that you'll do whatever's necessary.' Kel nodded, understanding even if she didn't like the idea.

'Good,' said Raoul reaching forwards to clap her shoulder. 'Now get some rest, you've got some hard riding ahead of you.'

* * *

The first half of the company left at first light, Kel amongst its number. Most of Kel's friends in the Own; Dom, Qasim, Seth and Hassen stayed behind with Lord Raoul, giving Kel the opportunity to learn some new names and faces. However after an hour the conversations lapsed into silence as they thundered through the drizzle.

Kel was fully bedecked in her armour and surged gloriously on top of Prince, revelling in the familiar feel of his bulk and gait beneath her body.

Flyndan navigated the trail expertly and although it narrowed in some places so that the double column had to merge to a single one, their path was unobstructed and mid-afternoon they arrived in Stonescross.

After brief discussions with the town's officials, the men were told to disguise their uniforms and hide their weapons in case the bandits sent scouts ahead. For Kel, who already wore her chain mail beneath her clothes it simply meant removing her Goldenlake tunic. Her clothes beneath the tunic were dirty enough to pass for even the poorest of farmers'. She un-tucked her shirt to hide the daggers on her belt and concealed both of her swords beneath a saddle blanket on Prince.

They passed around beef jerky and ate stale flatbread for a late lunch and Flyn came around assigning them positions. Kel hung back patiently; he reached her last.

'You'll be stationed as an extra man, woman, for Balim's squad. You're on the perimeter, don't break ranks –we can't let any one of these monsters to escape.'

Kel nodded curtly; she knew to stick to her position.

The next couple of hours was a tense waiting game, Kel stationed just on the outskirts of the village where the trees of the forest were still thin. She lay at the bottom of a large spruce, feeling slightly uneasy with the forest at her back. Her swords lay flat on the ground, invisible to all but Kel. She peered furtively around, unable to see any of the other men, even though she knew that they must be there, hiding, waiting.

Prince and the other horses had been hidden out of sight and Kel was disappointed that she would be unable to ride him into battle. Just then, Kel thought she heard a fragment of commotion on the wind, or had she imagined it? Several tense seconds followed in which Kel could only here the gentle swishing of the trees and the peeping of a bird high above. There it was again; the sound of a horn riding on the distant wind.

'That's one of ours lads,' Flyndan's voice rang out across the still forest, 'get ready but keep low until you've got a visual.'

In the minutes that followed the sound of the chase intensified until the first of the centaurs broke into the centre of Stonescross.

'Positions,' roared Flyn in a voice that Kel could only envy.

Kel scrambled to her feet and sheathed her second sword, Courage weighted firmly in her hand. She settled her helm on her head and planted her feet on the ground, ready to fight.

When the other half of the King's Own came into view, followed by Rider groups all yelling their battle cries, a great clamour arose in the village. Although the trained soldiers all had positions, battle always looked messy, as the panicking bandits and Immortals desperately sought an escape.

At a signal from Balim, Kel advanced forward in line with the rest of the Squad, slowly tightening the net.

In the centre of the town archers shot after retreating Hurroks, protected by a ring of armoured men. The Hurroks that had stayed to fight were being tackled by groups of soldiers; too dangerous to be taken on single-handedly.

The centaurs had banded together, shooting with deadly accuracy at the advancing wave of blue and silver. Fortunately, from what Kel could see, Company mages were shielding against the rain of arrows.

Out of nowhere three fur-clad bandits raced towards the centre of the line, spotting Kel's small stature as a weak link.

As the men on either side of her moved in to assist Kel heard a cry; 'Kel,' she looked up, distracted momentarily to see Dom hurtling towards her. Not having time to shout to him to stop being an idiot, Kel brought her sword up and focused on the attacker.

In a clean sweep she gutted the first man, sliding Courage past his axe as though it simply wasn't there. He gave a gurgling croak of terror and fell forward. As Kel crossed blade with the second man, a soldier to Kel's right dispatched the third man. By this time Dom had reached their area and hacked the man in the back of the legs. Bleeding and crying out in agony the bandit dropped.

Relief was spread across Dom's face, and anger fuelled by adrenalin surged through Kel's mind. Defiantly she drew her sword swiftly across the fallen man's throat, ending his life quickly.

Surprise flickered in Dom's eyes.

'What were you thinking?' Kel said, having to shout to be heard above the clamour.

'I-'

'Stunts like that could get us both killed,' she ranted.

'Kel there were three of them,' Dom pointed out.

'And Balim's squad are backing me up. I don't need you to watch from the other side of the battle field and charge across at any sign of danger. You'll get yourself killed! I know how to fight, Dom.'

'Evidently,' he said coolly, looking down at the two dead bandits. Dom turned back to the fight without another word. As he left, Kel felt her anger drain away and she regretted speaking so rashly. He needed to be told, but screaming at him on a battlefield had perhaps not been the best place for such a discussion.

A Hurrok landing distracted the six men or so to Kel's left and she stepped sideways; not to help, for there were already enough to hunt one Hurrok, but to cover the gap left behind.

It was just her luck that a centaur chose the distraction of the Hurrok to make a break for freedom. He was galloping at full speed right down the gap that Kel was trying to fill. Knowing that she'd simply get trampled if she stood in the way Kel unsheathed a knife, and praying that it would work, tossed it with all her strength at the stampeding centaur.

It let out a bellow of anger as the metal blade sank into the delicate flesh of its abdomen. Grasping the hilt savagely it wrenched the knife out and wheeled around to face Kel. It held a spiked cudgel in one hand and a shield in the other.

Kel's heart thumped madly. She had no experience in fighting Immortals. Lunging forward, she brought Courage down to slam firmly into the shield. She twisted the blade sideways using a double handed grip to get the strength needed to reverse the direction of the blade at speed.

The move surprised the centaur and thick blood welled in a line across its hairy forearm. Kel had to block the heavy return blow quickly, and then dance out of the way as the shield came slamming sideways.

They continued to exchange blows, Centaur outmatching girl in strength and girl outmatching Centaur in speed. Eventually, in what was a blur of Scanran swordplay Kel's blade slide up underneath the cudgel and sank deep into the centaur's belly. Hot acrid blood spattered onto Kel, who felt a surge of triumph. Even as she did so a force slammed her backwards so that she landed heavily on her back, winded. Pain exploded in the top of her thigh and unable to breath, Kel rolled over, clenching her hands.

Fortunately in those pain-addled moments some distant part of her brain remembered her training and she clambered to her feet, weight solely on one leg, sword still gripped firmly in her hand.

The Centaur's kick seemed to have been its dying blow as it had dropped to it's four knees, hands trying to hold in the entrails that sought to escape from the gash across it's front. Unable to trust her leg enough to move across to the dying Immortal and finish it's life quickly, Kel watched for over a minute as the creature was dragged slowly from life.

Kel glanced around and saw that the men to her left had subdued the Hurrok successfully and that in the town the battle was winding to a close.

She tried to place some weight on her left leg and exhaled sharply, coughing out a Scanran swear word. Kel simply stood and waited for the dull throbbing to ease, praying that there were no more Immortals seeking to escape.

Some minutes later Kel made it over to a tree, using the trunk as a support; she was determined not to be found injured on the ground, not in her first fight with the Own.

When Balim's squad was called in, Kel hobbled awkwardly forward, hating the pain that spiralled through her thigh with every step.

In the town centre Kel was handed a water gourd which she drained eagerly. Everyone seemed to be busy, with jobs to do, but Kel found a crate outside the Inn and perched there, trying to slow her breathing and ignore the pain. '_You've become soft in Tortall_,' she chided herself mentally. '_You can cope with a bruised leg.' _

Time slid past, men all hurrying past to clean up the battle field and set up a proper camp; for the first time in almost two weeks they would have a proper rest before riding on.

'Kel,' Raoul's voice was relieved. 'Balim told me that you took down two men,' he sounded pleased.

'And a centaur,' said Kel tiredly.

Raoul grinned, 'I think we got all the bastards, and we didn't lose a single man. Fuller is in a bad way, but the healer's reckon he'll make it.'

Kel stood up and winced as her bad leg gave way.

'Are you hurt?' Concern filled his voice.

'The centaur kicked me,' admitted Kel embarrassed, 'it's nothing, just a bruise.'

Raoul was having none of it. 'We'll get you over to the healer's tent, my dear Squire, and Emmet Fenreigh will tell you if it's nothing or not.'

The healer's tent had already been erected and it was divided into small curtained cubicles, each with a pallet laid on the floor.

Feeling foolish for bothering the healers, Kel removed her helmet, breastplate and wrist guards, unstrapping her sword from her belt.

Raoul moved around the tent, waving cheerfully at men who were having cuts seen to, some already settled in their pallets with bandages visible around various limbs or torsos.

The healer, a man who looked to be about the same age as Dom, stopped to speak to Raoul. Kel couldn't hear what he was saying but Raoul pointed over to her pallet and the meaning was clear enough.

The healer, Emmet of Fenreigh clear presumed, stepped into the area and drew the curtains shut behind him. 'My lord says you were kicked?'

Kel nodded awkwardly, gesturing to her thigh.

'Um…you'll need to remove your mail and breeches,' said the young man. If he felt embarrassed, it was nothing compared to how Kel felt as she gingerly stripped off her mail and sweaty breaches until she was clad in only her shirt and loincloth.

Sitting down on the bed, her back propped against the tent wall, Kel looked down and the ugly purple hoof print that was spread nastily across the top of her thigh.

Blushing furiously the young healer laid a cool hand on Kel's throbbing leg and sent out tendrils of his magic.

Kel felt a blessed cool envelop her tender flesh and relaxed as the pain was drawn away. After a couple of minutes, Emmet opened his eyes once again and withdrew his hand.

'There was no break to the bone, just a very nasty, deep muscle bruise and some bleeding next to the bone. It'll be tender for a few days but you'll be able to walk and ride and so on.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, overcome with a tiredness that suppressed her embarrassment. She reached for her breeches and struggled back into them.

'You ought to have a rest straight after a healing,' Instructed Emmet, helping Kel slide under the blankets.

She fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, her body weak from the healing.

* * *

Okay, so there's the other half of the last chapter! I'm afraid that's going to be the last update until I've finished my exams (June 18th!!) because I simply cannot spare anymore time from revision…Sorry :( However, over the summer there should be lots of updates :D It'll definitely be finished by September! Yay!

A big thank you to **citrusfruit** who spell-checked what my weary, overloaded brain could not! (Even if I suspect her motives were to avoid physics revision..hrmm? haha.)

**Confusedknight xxx**


	59. Justice and jousting

Hi there! I know it's been far too long…

Thanks for every single review and impatient PM that was left. I _finally_ found time to write and for the last three days have been sitting in a caravan in Wales doing little else!

Anyway, after a long and rather convoluted discussion with myself I have ironed out several timeline issues and have changed the plot slightly from what it was originally –this will make it more interesting, both to read and write! You shall have to wait and see…

Enough nattering –enjoy!

**Confusedknight xxx**

**Disclaimer**: I'm just having fun with Tamora Pierce's characters; I own nothing 'cept the plot (as miserable as this makes me feel.) There are some points in here –a bit of Buri's dialogue, and a comment or two from Raoul, that are from the original books and I take no credit for those, I just love them so much and they were clamouring to be included…

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* * *

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When Kel awoke, slipping slowly back into consciousness, the first thing that her mind registered was that it was now dark outside. A gently pulsating mage-light cast a dim glow across the two rows of pallets, that contained occupants as still as Kel.

Reaching her hand down beneath the covers her fingers gently probed the tender patch on her leg. There was still a little swelling and it was sore to the touch, but it was no way near as painful as it had been before her healing.

Kel sat up slightly too fast and waited for the dizzy sensation to subside before sliding out of her pallet. She peered cautiously around, checking that no healer was poised ready to send her back to her rest. Silently, Kel collected her boots and sword, putting both on. This left her with two free hands to gather up her armour. Kel hurried from the healer's tent and out into the warm summer's night.

Crickets chirped and hummed in the bushes, disturbing the otherwise still night. Kel had no idea what time it was, unsure as to how long she'd slept after her healing. Her boots padding softly across the dew-damp ground she sought out the company horses.

Kel whistled softly and moments later Prince's steady footfalls were audible. His bulky form soon became visible through the darkness. Over the fence he butted her gently, reproachfully, as if to reprimand her for going into battle without him.

'I'm sorry,' Kel murmured in Scanran. 'Things work differently over here.'

Prince, liking the tones and syllables of the language he'd grown up hearing, lipped Kel's palm gently. Kel continued to whisper in Scanran, her lips and tongue forming half-forgotten words that drifted into the night. Kel only wished that Alex was there to answer.

The camp was a hive of activity the next morning and Kel found herself hanging around awkwardly with very little to do. She had slept under the stars again and therefore had no tent to pack up. Most of her armour would travel on her person and the rest had been stashed in her pack.

'How's your leg this morning, Squire of mine?' enquired Raoul jovially.

'It's fine,' said Kel, trying to fight down the rising blush.

'Emmet's a good healer,' Raoul commented, 'He patched me up nicely last year.'

Kel's eyes widened slightly; she couldn't imagine a man as big, powerful or experienced as Raoul needing a healer's attention.

'Being a good fighter doesn't make you immune to injury,' said Raoul kindly. 'You took down three enemies yesterday –a notable feat for any Squire.'

'But it was a silly mistake,' mumbled Kel.

'And one which you won't make again,' Raoul pointed out. 'Being a Squire is all about learning. I may not be able to teach you swordplay, but the experience that you gain with the Own is about so much more than just technical fighting.'

Kel nodded, slightly mollified.

'Good girl,' Raoul clapped her on the back and strode away.

Kel turned around to find Dom watching her from a short distance, his normally dancing eyes wearing a troubled expression that did not suit his handsome face. Kel knew that she would have to face Dom at some point; their last encounter had left a lot of things needing to be said, Kel wishing perhaps that some things could be un-said.

Steeling herself, Kel forced her legs to walk over to Dom, confronting the issue as soon as possible. Dom dropped his gaze on the pretence of tightening the girth on his horse's saddle.

Before she could say anything Dom spoke.

'Kel, look I'm sorry about yesterday. Seeing you there, with those men,' he swallowed. 'I know you're a good fighter, a brilliant fighter and you mustn't think that I doubt you in anyway, because I don't, but there were _three_ of them,' he trailed off, 'it was almost instinctual.'

'I'm sorry too,' muttered Kel in the same undertone so that passers-by couldn't hear. 'I shouldn't have shouted at you.' After a pause she said, 'You scared me charging over like that.' She rubbed the mare's neck absent-mindedly.

'I think it's going to take a little getting used to, for both of us,' said Dom carefully.

'It's a lot easier to fight for someone you love than alongside them,' Kel said, meeting Dom's eyes.

'My response to that would be to kiss you,' he whispered, 'But I don't think now is perhaps the best time…' A horn blared across the milling crowd.

'I'll keep it on account.' Kel slipped away, a faint smile visible on her weathered face.

* * *

The company rode out of Stonescross in neat formation, Kel in her usual place on Raoul's left. Feeling that she owed it to the horse, Kel was riding Prince today, happy to be back in the familiar, worn saddle. Kel toyed with the bottom of Prince's mane as she rode, her fingers nimbly weaving the coarse hair together and then combing it out.

She listened lazily to Raoul and Flyn who were discussing their next destination. It seemed that the second-in-command felt that they should ride north, rest their for a few days, deliver the prisoners and then ride up to join the Grand progress who were headed for fief Eldorne. Raoul on the other hand thought it better to ride to Irontown, in a north-easterly direction and then back to the Palace at Corus.

'You know we'll have to catch up with the progress at some point?' sighed Flyndan.

'Only once we've all rested up,' replied Raoul gravely, 'and after our charming hunting exploits I confess I could do with a nice-'

Flyndan cut across Raoul and it was all Kel could do to stop herself grinning at her knight-master's antics. Not for the first time she thanked the Gods for a mentor who was not only an excellent commander, but also one of the nicest men Kel had ever met. Raoul was easy-going, with a sense of humour to match.

'One day you and the King are going to come to blows,' Flyndan warned Raoul, 'and boyhood friend or no, you are going to end up with a royal warning.'

'Jon and I get on just fine about the combat work the Own does, we only disagree when he tries to use us as an accessory to dress up the Realm. We're a fighting unit not a troupe of dancing players. We leave only when we're fully recuperated.'

Flyndan shook his head but did not press the matter further. Kel supposed that he knew from experience that Raoul would not back down on this point.

Kel knew really that an elite taskforce such as the King's Own could go for months and months on the road, indeed Kel did not feel in immediate need of rest and she knew that Raoul didn't either. It was more a choice about whether the company returned to the barracks at the Palace for a few weeks, or were launched into the bustle of the Grand Progress.

Kel wholeheartedly agreed with Raoul; she had no desire to ride along at an infuriatingly slow pace to an allocated campsite, watch displays of nobles fighting, serve or dine at banquets and to meet, as Raoul had once put it every 'jumped-up, self-important toady' in the Kingdom. She would rather be training or fighting, preferably fighting. At this thought Kel felt an old stab of impatience. Now their hunt was over and all that remained to be done was deliver the two prisoners to a magistrate, Kel wished that they could be assigned a new task, anything to keep her mind off her nagging worries about Scanra.

Their course was set for Irontown where Kel presumed they would be delayed a couple of days to watch the trial and subsequent executions of their captives.

Kel felt it would've been much simpler to do as she had done –dispatched the bandits quickly and mercifully on the battle field, rather than healing the injured perpetrators only to send them to a near certain death at the hands of the justice system.

The men, unlike Kel, were in high spirits; no longer was their ride a gruelling hunt, dangerous and uncertain. They rode leisurely, laughing and joking in anticipation of the good food, soft beds and hot baths that awaited them.

As they rode Kel's learning took on a different nature altogether as she listened to stories recounted by Raoul, Qasim and even Flyndan; who had toned down his remarks about Kel since the skirmish. She heard about the most recent battles of the Immortals war from the point of view of the men that were inside the battle, as opposed to Sir Myles's overview of the events. Kel sometimes wished that she too could contribute her tales of war to the discussions, but this information, like much else in Kel's past was too important, too secret to disclose.

When they arrived at Irontown Raoul bid Kel to go find the ladies baths and not to come back until she'd had a proper soak. The trial, he told her would be scheduled for the next day at the very earliest and with servants dealing with their packs and hostlers on hand to stable the horses, Kel had no duties to perform.

Gratefully Kel sought out the baths, paid her coin and was soon immersed in hot, scented pool. Underwater, her mouth and eyes pressed tightly shut, Kel pulled the ties out of her hair and teased it free of the knot until it fanned out around her head. Surfacing, Kel swam to a ledge at the side. A bathroom attendant fetched her a selection of wooden combs and Kel sat in the hot water until she had removed all the tangles from her long hair.

She sat in the hot water so long that her skin wrinkled and flushed pink with the heat. Rubbing her prune-like fingers over her now clean skin one final time, Kel climbed regretfully out of the baths and wrapped herself in a large swathe of soft fabric to dry herself.

The round-faced assistant handed Kel back her freshly laundered clothes, dried no doubt by the heat from the large fire used to warm the baths. It felt lovely to pull on clean clothes and even nicer to let her clean, un-tangled hair hang free about her shoulders instead of scraping it back.

When she tracked down Raoul, he too looked considerably cleaner and was lounging in a chair, his shirt un-tucked and feet bare.

'There is an Annexe room through there for you,' he gestured at a door in the corner. 'Of course if you feel that it would be better for your reputation if you slept elsewhere…'

'With respect, my Lord, I've been sleeping in an adjoining _tent _room to you, whatever people could say I'm sure they've already said it.'

Raoul smiled fondly at his squire. 'Well that's that then. Besides if you did sleep elsewhere the gossip would probably speculate about what lover's argument we'd just had.'

Kel snorted and shook her head at the folly of people who'd believe such things. She peered through the door into her room and found that someone had deposited her pack from the supply train onto the low bed.

'I took the liberty of asking the serving lady to wash whatever clothes she could find in your pack,' said Raoul.

Kel thanked him and set what remained of her possessions on the floor. As she left the tiny Annexe, which was obviously intended for the use of a favoured manservant, she saw that Raoul was spreading a map across the table by the fire. Kel removed her shoes, tucked them inside the door and padded over to Raoul in her socks.

'While we wait for dinner I thought we could go over the route back to Corus,' said Raoul, searching around in a leather satchel for something. 'It never hurts to familiarise yourself with areas through which you are riding.'

And so they launched into another lesson, Raoul testing Kel's map-reading skills, asking her to select a route through the terrain and justify her choice. He made her measure the distance and estimate using mathematical formulae how long she would expect it to take different groups of people to pass along the chosen path.

The relationship between squire and knight, as Kel was beginning to discover was different than between teacher and pupil, and yet closer than servant and master. There was a mutual respect between them, but it did not hinder a growing sense of companionship. Raoul was always keen to hear Kel's opinion on topics but was thankful that she had the sense to sometimes keep it to herself unless asked.

* * *

The next day Kel watched Raoul describe the details of their hunt to the chief magistrate and figures leapt out at Kel; twenty four dead, lists of the livelihoods lost; animals taken, stocks of food destroyed. As the gavel banged down onto the magistrate's desk the verdict was unsurprising; both men were to be put to death by hanging.

Kel left the courtroom with a group of men from Dom's squad. Together they found a quiet area of the town in which to train. After a day in court the exercise was a release for Kel, who channelled her confused feelings into energy for her furious sword and glaive drills.

Village boys who'd gathered to watch the men practise gazed in awe as the quiet girl beat soldier after soldier, continuing to train long after the majority had sought out an Inn to eat and drink. When she'd exhausted her repertoire of sword drills Kel broke away from the remaining group and ran into the growing darkness. Although she didn't know the town, she trod a path through the surrounding fields not letting the burning lights from the windows of the buildings out of her sight.

Panting Kel stopped and hunched over, trying to relieve the stitch that was paining her side. She was struggling to think of anything else except for the two terrified, pleading faces of the condemned men as they were taken from the courtroom. Try as she might her thoughts kept sliding back to what it would be like for them, sitting there, knowing that they would die in the morn.

_They deserve it,_ she chanted in her mind as she began to lope across the still night once more. But they didn't _know._ Had those men in fact killed any of the victims they had found? If they were simple thieves then couldn't they be sentenced to work in the mines instead?

There was only one man that Kel truly wanted dead in this world, and that was Maggur, Maggur of Ratthausak, the man that she had vowed to help bring down. _What am I doing here Alex? _She asked to the night sky. _What did you need me for? _

Kel slept badly that night and Raoul was tactful enough not to mention her tired eyes and ashen face when she got up the next day.

It was her knight-master that she stood alongside in the central square of the town a few hours later, Buri joining them shortly afterwards. All around milled happy people, jostling, excited. Some had brought their children, hoisting them onto their shoulders to see above the crowd. She felt it was wrong, did these people not care that two lives were about to end? What was to be celebrated about death?

One man had begun to cry, it was horrible to watch. A rope was placed over their necks, tightened. A hooded executioner was stepping back, his hand reaching towards the lever…

Kel dropped her gaze, deciding that she didn't care if the others thought she was weak; she'd seen enough death. She didn't need to see any more.

The drum roll ended and a great cheer went up from the crowd, people jeering as the souls of the two men departed for the Black God's realm.

As they walked back to the eating house for lunch, Kel felt alone, separated from the crowd who were enjoying the occasion. Suddenly she noticed that neither Buri nor Raoul were smiling. Back at the Inn, Flyn joined them and as Kel waited on the three commanders they completed the written review on the whole hunt and the afternoon passed in serious contemplation and analysis.

As Kel cleared away the last of the glasses Buri followed Kel out, and stopped in the hall outside the supper room.

'We do what we must,' she told Kel, her voice gentle. 'We don't enjoy it.'

'Do you ever get used to it, Commander Tourakom?' asked Kel quietly.

'Call me Buri,' said the no-nonsense K'mir. 'Get used to it? Never. There'd be something wrong with you if you did,' Buri replied. Relief flooded through Kel. 'Death, even for someone just plain bad, solves nothing, but the law says it's a lesser wrong than letting them go to kill again.'

'But we'd kill on the battlefield without a second thought,' pointed out Kel, voicing something that had been bothering her all day. 'Why do we feel so differently about these deaths?'

'There is a great deal of difference between killing someone who is attacking _you_ to killing someone in cold blood. To those who don't fight, killing is killing, death is death. For a warrior,' she shrugged, 'It is inevitable that you will have to kill people. That doesn't mean we enjoy it, nor are we assassins who can kill on command. We fight because we have to; we kill because on a battlefield there is rarely a choice to imprison those who fight against us. Here,' Buri sighed. 'The people of the town can rejoice in death because they themselves have never killed anyone.'

'They've never seen the lifeless faces…' Kel couldn't finish her sentence, but Buri understood.

'The ones you see late at night.' Her black eyes met Kel's gaze directly. 'It's the price we pay,' she said simply.

'It's worth it,' said Kel firmly after a moment's pause, 'To keep people safe.'

'If I believed otherwise I would've given this all up years ago,' said Buri steadily. 'Only a monster would enjoy killing Kel, we do what we have to. Remember that.' She clapped Kel on the shoulder, leaving her with more to think about than the criminal's terrified, pleading face.

* * *

Their return journey to the palace was uneventful but educational for Kel nonetheless. For the first time she saw an ogres, unicorns, basilisks and a herd of centaurs that coexisted peacefully with the mortals leaving in that area. Dom also spotted a griffin's nest and while Kel watched eagerly through her spyglass he told her a story of a baby griffin that the second company had raised the previous year.

'Don't griffin parents attack those whom they can smell their offspring on?'

'Daine the Wildmage managed to track down the parents within the month,' he had explained.

The Palace was the emptiest that Kel had ever seen it. There was not a single courtier in sight when the Third Company arrived late one cloudy afternoon. The pages and their teachers were of course still in residence, along with the multitude of servants, but where their majesties went, the nobles followed and the Palace would remain in it's deserted state until the end of the Grand Progress.

Down in the barracks of the Riders and the Own there was still plenty of people around. Although the Second Company was up north manning the northern border, Kel was introduced to the Fiirst Company and their rather snub-nosed commander; Captain Glaisdan of Haryse. Kel could hardly believe that this distinguished man had the same job as Captain Flyndan Whiteford. He observed Kel as though she were nothing more than a beetle on the floor, although according to Dom this was more to do with her lineage than her gender.

On their second day back Kel returned to her room after her private morning training, intent on changing her shirt. She rifled through her half-unpacked bags and pulled out a plain linen shirt. It was only when she pulled it over her head that she realised that this shirt, which fit her about as well as a tent might do, was clearly not her own. She swapped it for another, ignoring the holes where she'd worn through the material at her elbows.

Knocking first, Kel made her way into Raoul's quarters.

'My lord, I think the maid at Irontown mixed up our laundry,' said Kel, handing Raoul the enormous shirt.

He chuckled and threw the shirt down onto an empty chair. Waving a massive hand, he gestured for her to sit down. Kel did so.

'I'd estimate that we have about two weeks or so before his Majesty summons us to join the chaos of the Progress,' said Raoul, running a hand through his unruly black curls. 'On the road, we can continue with your instruction, that is, in between the time that our presence is required at gods-only-knows what social functions! I would also like to learn more from you about the Yamanis.'

Kel nodded, remembering that it was one of the factors that had influenced Raoul to take a Squire when he had rarely done so before.

'Excellent. Today however I thought we would take full use of the empty tilting lanes…'

* * *

Kel felt sweat bead on her palms inside her protective gloves, sweat that had nothing to do with just how hot she felt, dressed in a padded jacket and leggings in the sun's merciless glare. She was sitting astride Prince and holding a long wooden lance; a glorified stick. She was about to gallop at full speed towards her knight-master who was also holding a lance. They would then attempt to knock each other off of their horses with the aforementioned sticks…

'Just hit my shield as though it were a quintain target,' Raoul had told her reassuringly. Kel however, was not reassured. She was not confident in her jousting ability. _What if my lance is off target and I hurt him? _Kel thought, panicking ever so slightly.

She was also concerned about how Prince might react. Had he ever been a part of a joust before? Swordfights from horseback yes, but jousting? Kel didn't think that they even had the sport in Scanra. She prayed that Prince would trust her enough to gallop towards Raoul, who was riding his enormous gelding Drum.

Before she had time to worry any further Raoul gave the signal and Kel kicked Prince into action, lowering her lance as she did so. As they surged forward Kel also noticed that unlike the stationary quintain, Raoul's shield surged up and down on his arm.

_Great Goddess above!_ Kel exhaled, and shoving her panic to a distant recess of her mind she tried to concentrate on nothing but Raoul's shield.

It all happened far too quickly, Raoul's shape loomed ahead. Miraculously she felt her lance connect with the wood of the shield, but a fraction of a second later she was slammed to the back of her tilting saddle, her entire shield arm numb.

'Well done,' praised Raoul once they had both trotted back into the centre of the tilting lane. Up close, Kel could see the mark her lance had made on Raoul's wooden shield; it was perilously near the edge. 'You know most squires don't even get near the shield on their first attempt,' he said encouragingly.

Kel, who personally felt as though it was more luck than anything, asked; 'But Sir, what if I had hit you instead?'

'My dear squire, I'd be a pretty poor knight if I couldn't dodge an off-target lance, don't you think?'

'Oh, uh yes,' smiled Kel, feeling rather stupid. 'Can we have another go?'

As she trotted back to the start line, she took an inventory of her injuries; as feeling was returning to her left side it brought with it a bone-deep ache. Her right side however wasn't much better, jarred from the impact of her lance on Raoul's shield.

On her next run, Kel had but a microsecond to register the impact before she was lifted from the saddle. Instinct took over as she relinquished her grip on the shield and lance, moments later she smacked into the ground, rolling over and over before lurching to her feet, winded.

Kel waited, hands on her knees for the breath to return to her lungs and straightened up. Raoul was waiting nearby, still mounted. 'That looked fun,' he said, grinning. Kel pulled a face, wearily gathering up her shield and lance. 'My lord, you are a bad man.' Raoul openly laughed at this.

'Do you remember how I did that?'

Kel thought back to the moment where she had left the tilting saddle. 'You sort of _popped_ me out.'

'Yes, it doesn't always work, but if you lever at just the right moment…'

'They fly,' Kel supplied dryly, clambering back onto Prince's back.

As determined as ever, she faced her knight-master once again. Eight runs later Raoul called a halt to their fun. 'Drum's done in and I want you to be able to walk tomorrow.'

'Yessir,' said Kel, privately relieved that it had been Raoul who'd called a stop to their practice. She hurt all over but was being her usual stubborn self and pushing herself beyond the throbbing that seemed to emanate from her abused joints.

Wearily Kel patted Prince's sweaty neck, pleased to note that Prince seemed to be coping with the exertions better than Drum.

As Kel hobbled off the tilting lane, a spattering of applause filtered in through her ears. Looking up in surprise Kel saw a small group of spectators that included Dom, Buri, some men from the Own that Kel knew by sight only, and several Riders.

'You're alive!' Dom joked, in mock surprise.

'I wouldn't be so sure,' Kel said weakly, every step an effort.

Raoul, who came up behind her clapped her on the shoulders; Kel winced.

'This squire of mine is going to make a fine jouster,' he announced smiling. 'There's time for you to go bathe before supper. I'll see to Drum,' he told her firmly.

Kel didn't bother to argue and led Prince away, leaving Raoul and Buri in conversation. After a moment Dom hurried after her.

'If you can get away this evening before the ninth bell, meet me in the stables,' and he left, leaving Kel's muddled mind to process this request. She didn't have time to ponder over _why_ he wanted to meet; it was taking all of her concentration and willpower just to remain on her feet, her arm brushing over Prince's chestnut coat.

Somehow, Kel wasn't quite sure how, but she managed to finish off stabling Prince and made her way into the baths. The hot water helped a little with her aches and pains as she floated tiredly, wishing that she would never have to move from the warmth and relative comfort.

A while later, jolted out of her dozing by a large group of serving women entering the baths, Kel signalled for a towel and heaved herself out of the water, groaning slightly as various body parts protested.

Suddenly the chatter stopped and the assistant that was heading towards Kel with a large fluffy-looking towel paused, her eyes wide.

'What?' demanded Kel, too tired for polite conversation.

'My dear,' said a woman that climbed out from behind Kel. 'Your back is covered in bruises and scars.'

Kel's muzzy mind was puzzled, she knew she had scars left from beatings or fights and having just been utterly pounded by Lord Raoul on a tilting lane, she knew that large, angry bruises _must_ be spreading across her back and shield arm.

'You don't have to bear this alone,' said a second woman gently. 'The temple will take you in, they'll find the man that did this.'

In an instant, it became clear what was bothering the woman. Kel reached for the towel and wrapped it around herself, conscious of many pairs of eyes on her battered body.

'I've just been jousting,' Kel explained. 'I'm Squire to Lord Raoul of Goldenlake.' The women looked disbelieving. 'No, really, I am,' said Kel showing the women her green Goldenlake tunic and Courage, that were lying on the bench a few feet away.

Kel dressed quickly and left the baths. As she walked out into the cool evening air, she couldn't help but let a giggle escape from within her at the thought of the temple priestess's hounding after Raoul. Before long, Kel was laughing so hard she had to pause for breath.

* * *

Long enough chapter for you all? It took long enough to write… (and to upload; I've been trying for 2 days but ff net wouldn't let me...)

I hereby **promise** that (unless some natural disaster occurs or we lose our internet connection) the next chapter will be up in a couple of days. It is written. I just have to find time to proof-read :D

I'd love hear your thoughts and comments on the story, suggestions for improvement, where you think it's going, or even just a note to let me know you're still reading –you just have to click below! :P

Muchos love to you all,

**Confusedknight xx**


	60. Progress

POP! Another squeaky new chapter just for you!

Thanks to all the people that left reviews (when finally let me read them) it made me the happiest child alive :D I chuckled at how contrary some of you are! When the story was in Scanra all you wanted was for Kel to return to Tortall, now she is there you all want her to go back to Scanra! -sighs- Anyway, I know that these chapters are partly filler ones but without these there can be no exciting ones later; I can't simply write 'In 3 years time blah...' because then you won't have a clue what's going on. Bear with me ;)

**Confusedknight xx**

* * *

When Kel had collected her meal from the servers, she scanned her eyes across the busy mess hall. Raoul was eating with Flyn and Glaisdan, immersed in a conversation that Kel didn't want to interrupt. Not able to spot Dom either, Kel settled down next to Qasim and tucked into her meaty supper.

She didn't try to wait on Raoul in the mess. Amongst the Own he liked to be treated just the same as all the others; it was a good policy Kel thought, and one which she had already seen Alex use. Men were more likely to respect you if you sat amongst them, got to know them. Kel reflected that it was perhaps the reason why both Alex and Raoul were followed and obeyed without question; they made every man feel valued, needed.

Mulling this over and only half listening to the rapid conversation all around her, Kel worked her way through the mound of food. Upon seeing that Raoul had finished, Kel gobbled down the last of her meat and shoved her bread roll into a pocket so that she could hurry out after him.

When she arrived in Raoul's suite moments after he did, her knight-master smiled and gestured that she should pull up a chair. For the next few hours they continued Kel's lessons in supplies and logistics, Raoul needing to get the work done before they rode out again to join the rest of the progress. This was an exercise, unlike jousting, in which Kel was confident. Her time as a clerk in Somalkt having armed her with a good grasp on mental arithmetic. She neatly printed the answer for Raoul after just a moment's pause for thought.

'Show-off' he muttered. 'Begone!'

Kel bowed and bid Raoul goodnight, her mind only now turning towards the meeting that Dom had requested.

* * *

In her room Kel pulled off her squire's uniform and struggled into some loose brown trousers and a burgundy coloured shirt. She pulled her hair free from it's horsetail before slipping out of the room.

Kel moved silently through the castle, her worn boots making no sound as she trod lightly along corridors and down staircases. Outside the air was warm and the smell of cut grass wafted up her nose. Bats and swallows swooped low over the grounds in the gathering darkness, but Kel didn't pause to watch.

Reaching the outbuildings, she wondered exactly which stable she was meant to be meeting Dom in.

'In here,' a voice whispered.

Dom, dressed as she was in civilian dress, was just finishing tacking up his dapple-grey gelding. He lead his mount out of the stable.

'Up you get,' he nodded, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

'Dom what-'

'You'll see,' he cut across her.

Rolling her eyes, Kel heaved herself up onto the horse, who was only a little smaller than Prince. Dom swung himself up behind her a moment later. Kel moaned in pain as Dom accidentally knocked her bruised back.

'Sorry,' he murmured, gently threading his arms around Kel's waist, simultaneously spurring Thief into a brisk walk.

Kel settled back into Dom, more aware of the heat he was emanating and his comforting smell, than the ache in her back.

Kel was very glad that not only was the Palace empty, but nightfall seemed to be falling fast. In the near darkness their identities would be concealed. Dom appeared to share this thought because as they passed into the city he brushed Kel's hair over to one side and moments later Kel felt his lips press into a soft crook of her neck; it was very distracting.

On and on they rode through the city, Kel not even noticing where they were now that Dom had moved from her neck to kissing the inside of her bruised wrists. When she could bear it no longer she clumsily dismounted, closely followed by Dom and pulling him into the shadows she kissed him properly.

Bathing in the warm feeling that kissing gave her, Kel walked hand in hand with Dom for a while, leading Thief**.**

'Mithros I've missed being able to do this to you', Dom breathed, twisting his hand so that his fingers could stroke Kel's. 'And I doubt we'll get much chance on Progress either.'

Kel shook her head sadly, letting Dom lead her through the darkness. At intervals they ducked into corners and alleys, celebrating their rare ability to be able to express feelings without the worry of being overheard.

'Do you think people suspect us?' whispered Kel.

'Well, a lot know that we were…involved before you became Raoul's Squire, but I haven't heard much talk of it.'

'They're a good bunch,' said Kel, relieved that no gossip would be reaching Raoul's ears of their continued relationship.

'Careful, you don't want to make me jealous,' warned Dom, wrapping his arms around Kel and drawing her in close.

As they kissed again, Kel made an involuntary grunt of pain; Dom's broad hands were applying too much pressure on Kel's painful back.

'Sorry,' he muttered. 'Let me have a look at those.'

Despite Kel's feeble protests, he pushed her out into the lamp light and lifted up her shirt.

'Great Mithros' beard Kel! You're black and blue!'

'So would you be if you'd gone ten rounds with my Lord!'

'We should take you to a healer,' Dom began.

'Nonsense,' Kel said firmly, 'I've had a lot worse than a few bruises.' And to distract Dom, she told him off the reactions of the ladies in the baths.

'Blimey, Raoul will have to watch out!' said Dom chuckling.

And, still laughing, they made their way back up to the Palace.

* * *

Two and a half weeks later a very official summons arrived at the palace, and that evening Raoul addressed his men in the mess hall.

'My dears it is time for us all to leave our comfortable domain and descend into the misery and chaos of his Majesty's Grand Progress.'

Mingled laughing and cheering broke out at this news. Raoul waited for the noise to die down before, slightly more seriously he said; 'The First Company will ride with us until Whitehorn and then they will bear up north to replace the Seconds who've been up there for too long.'

At this news there was more cheering, the men of the First Company being clapped on the back; border work was serious and well-respected.

Raoul let them all get back to their meal.

'It'll be our turn next,' said Dom, his blue eyes particularly alive.

Kel didn't smile. North was where she wanted to be, where she thought Alex wanted her to be, but she knew better than anyone the war that was waiting to erupt.

The next morning, bedecked in their smart uniform of loose, dark trousers, chain-mail shirts, blue tunics and white burnouses, the Third and First companies of the King's Own rode out of Corus, Kel at the very head, on Raoul's left hand side.

Kel and Raoul looked oddly out of place in their forest green tunics with Goldenlake shields strapped to their saddles. Normally Raoul, as Knight Commander could wear whatever he wanted, often varying between his own Goldenlake green, the blue of the Own, or even casual reds and browns. For formal occasions however, he was a Knight of Goldenlake and was required to dress as such.

It took them several days to catch up with the Progress, although Kel knew that Raoul, not particularly keen to join in the festivities and banquets at Eldorne, was not pushing the companies hard. When they finally did ride into Eldorne, people stopped to watch.

Whereas during the days travelling she had dropped back to ride amongst the soldiers, shortly before they arrived in Eldorne everyone had stepped back into their formation, two columns wide. Kel felt very proud to be riding amongst such an elite fighting force.

Raoul rode the company up through the main campsite; people everywhere parting to let the impressive cavalry through. When he found the royal party he stuck up his hand and signalled for a halt. A chop downwards through the air and the men dismounted, standing to attention.

Raoul joined Kel on the ground, handing her Amberfire's reins. Kel watched as the giant Knight Commander approached the King of the realm. Jon, whose expression bordered on a frown, accepted Raoul's curt bow.

'Master Oakbridge has found you space to set up camp on the far side of the town. I will not tolerate lateness to any social events.'

'As you order, your Majesty,' he said in a cold tone that Kel had rarely heard Raoul use.

Some more terse conversation was exchanged. Kel took her eyes off the King and looked at his companions. There was Prince Eitaro and Lady Haname, who were accompanying Princess Shinkokami. Sitting next to the Princess was her betrothed, Prince Roald. Roald caught Kel's gaze and smiled, eying up her uniform. Kel smiled back. She liked Roald, and hoped that she'd have a chance to speak to both him and Shinko at some point during the Progress.

Abruptly, Raoul had turned back to the Own and had mounted up. His men scrambled to follow. Lerant raised the Standard of the King's Own and they trotted smartly away to their designated campsite.

Whilst the men of the Own had to set up their usual tents, a large tent had already been erected next to a much smaller one; being the Knight Commander had it's advantages.

'Excellent,' said Raoul cheerily, gazing around at their new home.

For the rest of the day Kel shadowed Raoul as he met with some of the Kingdom's most important people. For Kel, the most enjoyable had been the meeting with the Yamani delegation and Kel's own parents, who were members of the small party.

Kel had almost blushed with pleasure when she overheard Raoul praising her fieldwork to her father Baron Piers. Kel made polite conversation, even exercising her somewhat rusty Yamani. She was pleased to see Lady Yukimi again and she was invited to join the ladies for morning glaive practise, pending Raoul's permission.

That night they made for the Eldorne castle, Raoul bedecked in his finery and utterly morose about the whole situation.

'It mightn't be so bad,' Kel consoled him. 'You might be partnered with someone interesting, Buri for example.'

Raoul had perked up a little by the time Kel left him. She was ushered into a side room off the banquet hall and was instantly face to face with the majority of all her old page friends.

'Kel!' exclaimed Neal. 'Someone said that the Own had ridden in today, but I didn't see you because I was with my beloved Knight mistress curing a family of pox. Which of course, we could've left to the local healers except for the fact that I have been loaned out as a-'

'Shut up Neal,' the giant, red-head Cleon tapped Neal sharply on the head with the tray he was carrying. Neal scowled, rubbing his scalp.

'We've been wondering when you'd turn up,' piped up Merric, 'but of course everyone knows Lord Raoul does his best to avoid things like this.'

'Up until two weeks ago we _were_ busy.' Pointed out Kel.

'Gallivanting after bandits or so I heard,' drawled Neal.

Kel didn't have time to answer because a harassed-looking Master Oakbridge bustled over to break up the group. Sighing, Kel collected a tray and began to transport the tureens of soup to the table she was serving.

Although Kel had missed out on years of practise serving as a Page, she had worked in all sorts of places as a slave or servant and her hands were steady. Kel spilt not a drop.

To her immense relief, Joren had not joined the Progress and although Vinson and Garvey were part of the group of squires, they didn't bother to create any ruckus without their ringleader.

As Kel started to serve she was relieved to see that Raoul was seated next to Lady Alanna, her flaming red hair making her easily identifiable despite her having donned a dress for the occasion. _Well at least he has someone he likes to talk to _she thought, delicately setting down a bowl in front of a noblewoman who had the skinniest arms Kel had ever seen. Hurrying back to collect more bowls, Kel felt suddenly conscious of her arms. They were muscly yes, but Kel didn't consider them chunky, compared to that woman however… she smiled at her own folly. That young noble lady probably ate very little and wouldn't even be able to pick up a sword. She satisfied herself with the thought that Dom seemed to love her just the way she was.

* * *

The next few weeks saw Kel's duties take on a much more traditional role. The men of the Own were occasionally called upon for guard duties or to help out on hunting trips, but none of this involved Raoul and by extension not Kel either. Kel was now required to wait on Raoul at all meals and gatherings.

She would also help Raoul armour up and see to both his mounts, something which she hadn't had to do whilst on the road.

The nobles loved the jousting exhibitions and Raoul was called frequently to the tilting lanes. He won without exception. Kel didn't really understand his eagerness to accept every challenge that came his way. Her daily lessons were about as much jousting as she could stand. Then one day, as Kel was tightening Raoul's wrist guards, he explained it to her.

'The conservatives haven't found the courage to tilt against me in years,' he said gleefully.

'So why now Sir?' Kel asked.

'Well, they think because I've taken you on as a squire that I've lost favour with the Gods, which is nonsense of course.'

'You shouldn't have to joust to defend my honour,' said Kel seriously. 'I can do that myself.'

'I know you can,' replied Raoul, 'But I _like_ sending conservatives flying; it's the most fun I've had in years!'

So Raoul kept on jousting, winning what Kel considered to be a small fortune in gold. Kel was still too inexperienced to joust in the proper matches, but occasionally Raoul asked his friends if they would take a few runs against her.

Kel didn't enter the sword-fighting either, something Raoul was surprised about.

'I'll just keep training,' said Kel, not wanting to continually flaunt her skills in front of the entire Realm.

It was all too easy for Kel to slip back into her life as it might have been had she come to squirehood by the conventional path. She rose early and worked on her glaive skills with the Yamanis before doing a little fencing and then eating breakfast with Neal and the others, rebuilding friendships after years of separation. She would then accompany Raoul to various meetings, or to his jousting. In the afternoons she would joust with her knight master and then help with the continual paperwork involved with running the Own.

Most evenings she was required to serve at banquets but after that she might visit her parents, take a stroll with Dom, or simply return to Raoul's tent to join in whatever was going on. Despite the evenings getting colder and darker they pitched campfires and sat outside until late into the night. Many men of the Own were often present, and so too was Buri and occasionally even Lady Alanna. Kel liked both women a lot, especially Buri whose humour matched Raoul's in nature.

Some nights Kel went to bed disgusted at herself for having slipped back into this cushy lifestyle that she had hated so much from within the depths of Scanra. She found herself praying with increasing frequency for Alex's protection, feeling vastly inadequate as she did so. Alex didn't need prayers, he needed fighters.

* * *

One early morning, as she took a short cut back across the campsite at fief Malven she heard a harsh voice ring out across the cool misty air.

'Look if it isn't Goldenlake's slut!'

Kel whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. She hadn't been mistaken; there in the brightening light stood blond-haired Joren of Stone Mountain.

Kel turned back the way she had been walking, not going to give Joren the satisfaction of riling her up.

'It proves what we've all known for years,' a different voice spoke now. 'Goldenlake is a pig who's always enjoyed consorting with scuts and wenches; now he's just moved on to tumbling his filthy-blooded squire.'

Kel whirled about, enraged not at the slur on her own name but on her Knight-master's. Within two strides her sword point was at the Knight's throat. Looking down at the badge on his grey tunic Kel saw that Joren's friend was a knight from fief Groten.

'We'll see what you say after I beat you on the fencing court,' Kel all but growled.

Groten took up the challenge as she'd known he would.

'No whore could best me,' declared Groten.

'Midday?' asked Kel, her eyes glittering.

The Knight nodded and with a contemptuous glance at Joren Kel strode away.

When Kel returned to her tent Raoul had already gone for breakfast. Not feeling remotely hungry anymore, she began to stretch out her body as Alex had taught her to do in preparation for a big fight. She changed into a green shirt and laced the sleeves up so that they didn't flap in her way. Her hair was secured back and her boots tightened, but she didn't pull on another tunic. Today she fought as Keladry of Mindelan, not as a Squire of Goldenlake.

Raoul's head poked through the tent flap, shortly followed by the rest of his enormous frame.

'Kel it says on the boards that you're duelling Ansil of Groten?' he asked, black eyes concerned.

'I am,' said Kel shortly, standing up.

'You do realise that it's a proper duel? Not just a tournament match.'

Kel _hadn't _realised, but there was not much she could do about it now.

'He'll be aiming to _kill_ you,' said Raoul, as though Kel hadn't understood his previous comment.

'People usually aim to kill me in battles too,' said Kel lightly. 'If I could only fight in risk-free situations then I'd make a pretty poor warrior.'

'What made you challenge him?' he asked.

Kel's face darkened, but she didn't reply.

'Kel!' Dom came bursting into the tent, 'you're down to-' he caught sight of Raoul and smiled sheepishly.

'We've just been covering this topic,' said Raoul.

Kel gestured that perhaps they should continue outside; her tent really wasn't large enough for all three of them.

'Well you've got about two hours,' Raoul said, 'perhaps we should go and find somewhere to slowly warm you up.'

'Aren't you going to arm up first?' Dom asked.

Kel shook her head, looking down at her sole piece of armour; her wrist guards. She disliked fighting in her armour and wanted to humiliate Ansil of Groten as much as possible.

Raoul gave her a calculating look before saying;

'If you go and get yourself killed, I will never speak to you again!'

'Then I'd better not get killed,' replied Kel with a smile.

* * *

A huge crowd had gathered to watch the fight, not only because it was a proper duel, but also that it was between a fully-fledged knight and a first year squire, the girl to boot.

Kel wasn't sure how many of the crowd knew about her tournament victory. The conservatives were probably passing it off as a fluke or that she had somehow bewitched or slept her way to victory. Not that it really mattered what she'd achieved in the past. This was here and now. A time to vent some of her frustration by teaching this knight a lesson.

Ansil turned up clad from head to foot in expensive, gleaming armour. Kel by comparison looking like a local village lad with a sword. Still, now was not the time to be taking all of this in. Kel cleared her mind of her surroundings, her angry feelings towards Groten, even the memories of Alex that duelling brought her. She was calm. She was a lake on a tranquil day. A breeze played across her face. She was ready.

Kel stepped forward, bowed and as the herald signalled, began the fight. Ansil started by taking a few great steps towards Kel, swinging his sword in an almighty loop to bring it crashing down. Kel caught the blow on her sword, bringing his to a jarring stop and not even letting hers drop an inch. Through the visor Kel saw two dark eyes widen. He had experienced her strength, now let him feel her speed.

She broke away abruptly and began to jab her sword about lightly. She didn't make contact, pulling it away before it touched his armour, far too fast for him to even attempt to block. Kel twisted her sword round in such a way that it flickered out of his field of vision for a split second and then darted back in, having dropped or risen in that moment obscured by his ridiculous helmet. She could see sweat beading above his eyebrows.

Now she began to land blows, Courage switching between easily batting away his attacks and hammering down on his fancy armour, sparks flying as it did so. Kel was lost in a dance so intricate that even she couldn't have consciously planned what she was going to do next. Flicking her sword casually underneath the bottom of his helmet she yanked it off of his head, in much the same way that she had lost her original helmet at Somalkt. Now the crowd too could see the fear in those dark eyes.

Her footwork immaculate, Kel only had to block every other swing of Groten's sword, having stepped out of it's way before it even needed defending against. She toyed with him like this for about five minutes, making it clear to any who were watching, just who was in control of the fight. She never became overconfident; knowing it could be a fatal mistake. She always did just enough and made sure that her linen-clad flesh was nowhere near Ansil's blade.

Bored of the fight, Kel pretended to tire, slowing to a more sedentary pace, blocking every blow with her sword, all the while watching, waiting, until –

Twisting her sword round and underneath the very hilt of Groten's sword she tugged it from his grip so that it span upwards briefly before falling. Kel stretched out her left arm and deftly caught the blade.

If this were an exhibition fight, this would be the point where Groten would yield. It being a duel, the fear in his eyes showed that he didn't know what Kel would do next.

Darting forward Kel hooked her leg behind his knee, dodging a punch so that Ansil fell to his knees. Tapping his own sword pommel sharply on his head Kel knocked the unpleasant knight into unconsciousness, dropped his sword with a clatter, and walked off the field.

Her friends all greeted her jubilantly, but Kel wasn't really listening, she was looking for Raoul. Surely he'd watched the duel? Then suddenly he appeared, grinning and jangling a rather full moneybag.

'I placed several bets on the fact that Ansil wouldn't even draw your blood,' smirked Raoul, clapping her on the shoulder. 'Knocking him out with his own sword was a nice touch though.'

* * *

Review my lovelies and there may well be another speedy update,

**Confusedknight xx**


	61. Visiting the Past

Aww! Thank you so much to anyone who left a review; you make all this writing worthwhile…

Confusedknight xx

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* * *

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As the Progress crawled steadily east, news came from the North that a new warlord of Rathhausak had banded together an army and overrun Northwatch Fortress. The invasion had been short lived and General Vanget had soon cleared the enemy from the fort but it had been a shock to northern defences nonetheless.

This news frustrated and worried Kel in equal measure. Kel was dying to hear any scrap of information that might give her a better idea of what was going on in Scanra, however it was all she could do to stop herself from rolling her eyes as knights and squires alike discussed this "new" warlord. Surely the Whisperman, with his entire network of spies had more up to date news?

Most seemed to think that Maggur had gotten lucky and that by the time Spring rolled around again, a new "barbarian" would have lopped off Maggur's head leaving the clans in disarray once more.

As much as Kel would have liked to see Maggur's head chopped off, she thought that the chances of it happening in the near future were very slim; not whilst he surrounded himself with men such as Stenmun Kinslayer. Maggur was far too cunning, had spent far too long building up his empire to be dislodged so easily.

Raoul at least thought that Maggur was a threat and confided in Kel that unless the situation could be resolved soon, the likely outcome would be war. Kel kept quiet at this statement; she had known for years of the impending war, and she alone in the Progress knew just how much trouble they would be in when it arrived.

As they neared Naxen where the Progress would stop for the month of Midwinter, the Third Company received news of a village severely damaged by a landslide. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and the heavy sleet had weakened the soil of the hill that towered over Ravenslye. A mixture of stone, mud and ice had crashed into the village, destroying half of the buildings. With worse weather on the way it was imperative that something was done to help the townspeople.

Raoul had found Kel sitting with her fellow squires in one of the large communal tents that had been erected since the weather had turned bad. His ruddy face was pink with cold but he was beaming from ear to ear as he told Kel the news.

She leapt up, thrilled to finally have something to do. In record time Kel had packed away her belongings and at the recommendation of Raoul had pulled on oilskin trousers, a thick cloak and on a whim, wrapped a headscarf around her head to not only keep her hair out of her eyes but her ears warm too.

It took less than forty minutes to assemble the entire company and soon Kel had swung herself into the saddle. Most of the men were dressed as she was; for a hard ride in unpleasant conditions. There was simply no point wearing smart uniform and sparkling armour when in a few hours they were likely to be soaked through and mud-spattered.

Kel checked that her glaive, bow and shield were all securely fastened to her saddle; they were. Following Raoul's hand signals, (it was easier than him trying to shout over the howling wind) they rode out of the camp, past the onlookers who'd come to see them off.

A couple of hours into the ride it began to rain and fat droplets raced from the sky, driven by the raging wind onto chilled faces, frozen fingers and sopping horses of the King's Own. For the first couple of hours their oilskins made a valiant attempt at repelling the water and Kel was thankful that at least some of her was dry. Prince wasn't as lucky; his head was bowed against the weather, rivulets of water running down his rain-darkened flanks, up to his fetlocks in mud.

'Isn't the life of a warrior glorious?' Raoul said, not looking quite as cheerful as he had done a few hours previously.

* * *

The bad weather persisted all day and well into the night. Kel lay in her warm bedroll, her hair still damp, staring upwards as the tent shuddered and swayed in the wind. She wasn't aware of falling a sleep, but the next thing she knew she felt a horrible dampness and sat up only to find her tent inch deep in water.

Cursing, Kel tried to salvage as much as she could, lifting her pack off of the floor. She felt down inside. Luckily her oilskins were still safely dry on top, but the shirts and breeches at the bottom were sodden.

Hopping up and down to try and keep her feet out of the freezing muddy water, Kel all but leapt into her boots and slightly damp oilskins. She was just standing there in middle of her tent, clutching her possessions and wondering what on earth she was going to do next, when Kel heard a shout from a neighbouring tent. Evidently the water had found it's way in there too.

She stepped out into the night, hearing all around her the sounds of men waking in partially submerged tents; this involved much shouting, exclaiming and swearing. Kel's eyes strained to see through the dark, until someone with the Gift threw up a ball of magelight into the air.

'Who picked this campsite?' asked Raoul's good-natured voice.

'You did sir,' pointed out Dom, whose hair was dishevelled and shirt dripping wet.

'Breakfast anyone?' called Volorin.

The men, rather than moaning about the weather set about dissembling the camp in a stoic manner. Kel helped once she'd deposited her bag along with all the other soaking ones. Fed up of her cloak, which just trailed in the mud, she bundled it up too and left it in the wagon, resigned to the fact that she was going to get wet.

An hour or so later, as the sun was beginning to rise, they set off through the drizzle. Kel was looking thoroughly dishevelled; her hair was plastered to her head and her shirt clung rather tightly to her body, something which judging by the look Dom gave her, he appreciated.

As they trotted steadily north the air temperature dropped and Kel's teeth began to chatter. She fought to control them. At lunchtime, noting his squire's blue lips Raoul drew out one of his own, massive quilted sweaters and deposited it over Kel's head. It was far too large, but Kel smiled gratefully; all of her own clothes were soaked through.

They rode on and pitched camp that night, making sure that they were on higher ground. By the next morning the rain had turned to sleet, fat lumps of which landed on Kel's face, slithering down her nose to drip onto Prince's sopping coat.

By the time the Third Company reached Ravenslye it was hard to remember what being dry felt like. Most of the village had escaped relatively unscathed from the landslide, although the streets were filled ankle-deep in mud that was beginning to freeze. Kel followed Raoul across to inspect the structural damage nearer the slope with difficulty. She would tread on the icy surface, only to have it break under her weight and drop several inches into thick black mud. Raoul didn't seem to be having this problem and broke through the ice straight away so that every step he took made loud squelching noises.

Two houses were beyond repair, but there were seven or so others that were not damaged enough to compromise the safety of the building. The worst loss to the village as a whole was damage inflicted on the food that they had stowed away in the barn, part of which had been carried away on the tumult of mud and rock that had hit it.

Raoul drew up relief plans that concentrated on three main tasks. Firstly and most importantly, the slope must be secured so that no further damage could occur. Their second task was to repair what they could and clean the mud that had found its way into houses, cellars, wells and streams. Last of all was replenishing the damaged food supplies, both by hunting and by sending an envoy to the nearest Fiefdom requesting aid in the name of the Crown.

Every squad was assigned a task and set about their jobs doggedly in the sleet that still tumbled from the grey sky. Kel and Raoul were not ones to stand about whilst others worked and Raoul, joined those lifting timber. In the meantime, Kel collected a spade and started trying to clear the worst of the debris from the cobbled streets.

Grateful faces watched in all directions, lining doorways and filling up lit windows. Kel supposed it must be comforting for those who lived out here in the wilderness to have the support from the Crown. She smiled and waved at a girl who sat in the window of the house opposite where she was shovelling. The girl dived out of sight, embarrassed that she'd been caught staring.

A little way down the street someone cried out. Kel looked up from her digging, alarmed. One of Dom's squad members, Luke, had slipped over into the muck. His comrades were doubled up laughing, at least until fat handfuls of mud came flying their way. Yelling like a group of children, a mud-flinging fight ensued. Kel watched, amused, and strangely glad that even in a job as inglorious and as gruelling as theirs could be, the men still retained a sense of humour and camaraderie.

By the time the streets were mainly cleared and night had fallen, Kel was as wet as it was possible to be and as muddy as those who had joined in the mud fight. It had finally stopped raining and as the filthy company congregated, awaiting the instruction of a man that they would follow into death, a small group of shabbily dressed villagers emerged from a local house.

'We wan' a thank ye fer gittin' 'ere a quick. 's not allus city folk helps folk as us,' the man began, in his thick accent.

It transpired that the villagers wanted to thank the men, by offering them proper shelter overnight. As if on cue, the man of every household came to the street and collected two or three soaked, tired men, to offer them a roof over their heads for the night. Kel waited with Raoul until the street was almost empty, before picking up her sodden pack and following the headman and her knight-master into a wooden house that had escaped the onslaught of filth.

Almost immediately a large-bosomed woman descended upon them both, fussing and clucking. Kel stood there for a moment, overcome by the warmth given off from the crackling hearth.

It was not a big house by any means, but it was homely, warm and filled with a delicious smell. They left their filthy shoes by the front door and stood dripping and dirty on the doormat.

The woman bustled about in a motherly manner and encouraged the pair to remove as much of their soaked clothing as possible. Kel removed Raoul's jacket and her oilskin trousers until she was dressed in just her hose and shirt for decency's sake. Raoul had removed everything except his breeches.

'You poor mite,' the woman ushered Kel over to a metal tub behind a screen. 'Have a good wash now, that'll set you right. And we'll get you some of Josie's old clothes to wear while yours dry out.'

With little choice in the matter, Kel stripped off behind the wooden screen and stepped into the warm water. She scrubbed herself clean, acutely aware that her knight-master and a strange family were in the same room, albeit out of sight.

Once there was no residual mud in her hair, Kel clambered out and wrapped herself in a fraying towel.

'Right you get out here so the Lord can have a bath and we'll find you sommat to wear.' Covering as much of herself as she could with the towel and fighting a blush, Kel stepped out into the main room, trying to avoid looking at Raoul. As she climbed the steps up onto the house's second level, she heard the water sloshing as Raoul entered the tub.

Josie, it transpired, was their seventeen-year-old daughter who had recently married and moved out. Kel had to borrow everything from a fresh loincloth to a breast band and was then bedecked in a shift and overdress made from coarse, warm wool.

With large grey eyes and black hair, Risa was an extremely friendly, talkative lady who wasted no time in telling Kel all about her seven children. Josie and Brin, the two eldest had moved out, leaving four youngsters and a baby, all apparently waiting in the room next door for permission to come and meet the guests.

Kel followed Risa back downstairs where she found her knight-master hanging out their damp possessions on the wooden beams that crossed the low ceiling. He was dressed in the simple clothes of a countryman, clothes that were slightly too small for his massive frame.

Seeing Kel arrive he grinned at her; it wasn't often he got to see his squire in a dress. Kel smiled and started to help by unrolling their soggy bedrolls and with the use of a stool, hung them from the rafters. Just as Kel was finishing off, a distraction arrived in the shape of four young children barrelling down the stairs.

The tallest made a beeline for Kel. At ten years old, Lydia was extremely inquisitive and was keen to hear every detail about why a fifteen-year-old girl had come to answer the village's summons. When Kel explained that she was Squire to Lord Raoul, a thousand other questions tumbled out, and somewhere in the middle of that;

'Can I do your hair?'

'Pardon?' Kel asked.

'Can I do up your hair?' Lydia repeated. 'I love to make people's hair pretty, but since Josie moved out I haven't had the chance….' she gestured at her three younger brothers who were all watching Raoul with expressions of awe on their faces.

'Alright,' Kel agreed, hanging up the last sheet.

Kel sat on the floor in front of the hearth and answered Lydia's questions whilst allowing her hair to be twisted, plaited and played with. Kel was used to this treatment from Isra and sat dutifully still.

'Lydia come and wash these vegetables for me,' commanded Risa. 'Stan go and help your father…Oh not now!' she exclaimed, hearing a loud wailing drifting down from the upstairs room. She was stirring vigorously at the saucepan in her left hand. 'Rolf go and fetch your brother, on second thoughts, don't I'll get him in a –'

'I'll go,' volunteered Kel, standing up and climbing up the creaky staircase. There were only two rooms upstairs; the one Kel had got changed in, where she presumed Risa and her husband slept and the other room for the children.

Kel had to climb over pallets and scruffy teddy bears and rag dolls just to reach the cot where the bawling infant lay. She lifted him free of his blankets and held him tightly, bouncing the child ever so slightly and making soothing noises.

When she returned downstairs, the boy was still crying, hiccoughing and drooling, his red face screwed up angrily.

'He'll want changing,' cried Risa over the din, now trying to stir the pot with one hand and knead dough with the other.

'Where's his things?' asked Kel.

Rolf pointed to a wooden crate by the screen that hid the bath from view. The lid was stiff and heavy; Kel couldn't remove it one handed.

'Sir?' she asked. Raoul came over, eyeing the baby warily. Kel held out the screaming baby and Raoul shrank back. Smiling slightly, Kel nodded towards the box. Raoul got the lid up without much trouble and Kel was able to pull out a fresh linen cloth for a nappy. Deftly removing the soiled one and wiping the baby clean, Kel knotted a clean nappy onto the infant and pulled down the tiny shirt. The babe quieted immediately.

Kel scooped him up and held him over one hip whilst she dealt with the smelly nappy. When she was done, Kel caught Raoul looking at her with an odd expression on his face.

It was a mixture of surprise and shock. Kel knew that noble born women weren't meant to know such skills; they had maidservants and wet nurses for that, but Kel mused if she'd been a commoner she could have already been married off with small children like the one she held in her arms. Kel looked down at the baby's sharp blue eyes and unblemished skin; it was an odd thought.

Kel felt oddly homesick, watching the children race around the small house, providing more of a hindrance than a help. It reminded her of the several happy months she spent in Dundine with Jacqui, Eron, Isra, Hal and Meah.

Stan returned with his father, clutching an armful of freshly chopped wood. They built up the fire so that the pots suspended above it began to bubble merrily.

Half an hour or so later, the family had seated themselves at the table, passed around plates and had begun to serve themselves some of the steaming hot food that lay in front of them. Kel and Raoul were given large portions of everything and Kel tucked in with gusto.

'Me wife's allus been good cook,' said Yrem, the headman through mouthfuls of cooked vegetable.

'Are you from up north?' Kel asked.

Risa nodded, 'My uncle was a merchant who matched me with Yrem. I suspect you can hear the difference in our accents.'

Kel nodded, 'And I know that this-' she held up what looked like a doughy dumpling, 'Is northern food.' Risa nodded, beaming.

She pulled apart the slightly salty dough to reveal the familiar brown contents; a mash of strong-tasting root vegetables. It had been a favourite of Fanche's.

As Kel ate the dumpling she looked over at her knight-master and almost laughed out loud. Coughing, as though clearing her throat, she caught Raoul's eye. He had been trying to bite his way through a tough vegetable; obviously not realising that the outer layers had to be peeled off first. Very deliberately Kel picked up the same vegetable on her plate and pulled off the stringy layers. She then lifted it to her mouth and nibbled off the fleshy outer rim, clearly leaving the harder core. Raoul's eyes conveyed a look of thanks as he set about eating the vegetable correctly.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was so homely that Kel truly began to relax, laughing as the younger sons flicked vegetable skins at each other. Risa and Yrem tried in vain to keep the peace. Not a single scrap however went to waste and by the time Kel helped Risa to clear away and wash up she was very full indeed.

After dinner, the adults crowded onto chairs around the fire whilst the young children lounged on the hearthrug.

'Go fe'ch m fiddle,' Yrem instructed his eldest remaining son, Stan.

The boy, who couldn't have been more than eight years old, obeyed eagerly. When he returned with the stringed instrument his father took it from his hands with the familiarity that soldiers displayed with their swords. He lightly twanged the strings, twisting pegs to tune them accordingly. When he was satisfied, Yrem raised the instrument to his chin and began to play.

It was a jolly tune that started off slowly and sped up into a lively jig. Yrem started to sing the no-nonsense song that accompanied the music and was shortly joined in by his children, all of whom sang enthusiastically. The second song that Yrem performed was in the style whereby the lead singer sang first and the rest copied. Feeling warm, sleepy and content, Kel joined in.

Kel had experienced a lot of singing during her time in Scanra. There had been the singing on the slave plantations; voicing desperate hopes as a means to survive in almost unbearable conditions, then the singing at festivals, accompanied by dancing and other merriment, often with thousands joining in. Singing with Jacqui and the children at Dundine, singing with Alex as they travelled, singing to the despairing men at Somalkt in the midst of one of the most horrendous battles known to the country… Memories unfurled themselves as Kel sang, her voice pure and strong.

When they came to the end of a song that Kel hadn't known, Yrem asked.

' 'ave ye git song t'sing?'

Kel thought for a moment. The majority of the songs that she knew were Scanran.

'The Lily the Rose?' Kel asked after a pause.

'That's one of me favourites!' Exclaimed Lydia, 'Me an' Josie sang it.'

'Maybe Kel would sing it with you?' suggested Risa.

Kel nodded, 'Which part would you like to sing?'

'Bottom,' said Lydia decisively, 'Josie sang top.'

Yrem resettled his fiddle and started up the pretty tune. After a short introduction Kel and Lydia joined in, their voices soaring above the earthy tones of the instrument. Kel's eyes stared into the leaping flames of the fire and she lost herself in melody, pouring her slightly mournful feelings for the memories that had resurfaced, into the music.

When the song was finished everyone applauded, the young boys clapped madly whilst Raoul brought his massive hands together and raised his eyebrows at Kel who smiled, almost apologetically.

'Right that's it,' said Risa. 'It's time you lot were off to bed,' she gestured to her flock of children. 'And be quiet as you go about it, George is a sleeping upstairs.'

She followed her offspring, leaving just Kel, Raoul and Yrem.

'I'm 'fraid we git no space upstairs, so ye'll have t'sleep 'ere.'

'It'll be more than adequate,' Raoul assured him. 'We're grateful for your hospitality and sharing your lovely home and food with us.'

So it was that night that Kel and her knight-master lay on parallel bedrolls, watching the dying fire cast flickering shadows across the dark room, when Raoul finally confronted Kel about the evening's events. Kel knew it was coming; she had been a spy after all. She had known that when she had shown her familiarity with the baby, the food and the music that Raoul would pick up on it. It wasn't that she wanted to have this conversation, more that she had wanted to, just for one night, sink back into a simple home life, one without the burden of secrets.

In Scanra she had spent all that time hiding her identity, carrying with her the weight of all that had happened. Now she was here in Tortall and unable to share details of her two years spent in the northern country.

'Thank you for saving me at dinner,' Raoul said in an undertone, 'I hadn't got a clue how to eat that vegetable.'

And he had no reason to know either, thought Kel. It was a cheap, rather tasteless item of food that was eaten by commoners who couldn't afford to buy others. Wrapped in its leaves it could survive for much longer too.

Kel said nothing, lying unnaturally still under her blankets. After a slight pause Raoul pressed on. 'And that song you sang was lovely. You're full of surprises Kel.'

They lapsed back into silence until Kel spoke, feeling that she owed this nice man at least a semblance of an explanation.

'After…' she started, but her sentence fell away. 'When I ran away,' she tried again, 'I lived with a family for a bit. Just like this one. And it was nice, nice to be just Kel…It's simpler to live as part of a common born family.'

Raoul twisted round, squinting through the darkness towards Kel.

'What made you leave?'

Kel thought painfully of Fanche's and Jacqui's families, how easy it would've been just to live there permanently.

'There's wrongs in this world that need fixing,' said Kel quietly. 'I might not be the one who's meant to do it, but by the Goddess I'll help whoever is.'

Alex's face swimming before her eyes, Kel didn't sleep for a very long time.

* * *

Black haired and tanned skin that was the man's heritage, stood out in tavern filled with blonde individuals. Fortunately the air was dim and smoky, and the drunkards within could barely make out the cloaked stranger hunched in the corner.

One man did, his astute hazel eyes scanning the inn and locking onto the cloaked man. Casually sauntering up to the bar, he ordered two tankards of foul-smelling ale and made his way lazily over to the stranger.

Setting down the tankards, hazel eyes met brown. There was nothing in either of their postures that indicated the intensity of this gaze. They gripped hands silently over the table, two scarred warrior's hands meeting in a touch of friendship.

'Have you-'

'She's fine,' the dark haired man interrupted, barely moving his lips. 'A squire.'

Relief flashed across the pale face that had a barely healed cut down one jawbone, and a glimmer of a smile flitted about the corners of his mouth.

'I come to fight,' the darker man declared.

'It would be an honour.'

And without another syllable being uttered, Fassin the Shang Jackal followed Alexei of Rathhausak out of the tavern.

Hundreds of leagues away the only female squire rolled over, comforted by her dream in which Fassin had found Alex alive and as well as could be hoped for.

Eons further away still, Gainel the Dream King smiled.

* * *

The King's Own remained in Ravenslye for another two days until the final landslip barriers had been completed and supplies brought from nearby towns. Then it was back onto the muddy road for the company as they trod southwards at a brisk pace.

Whilst on the road one of the mages received a message from the King, who had grudgingly decided that their presence was needed more in the south than at fief Naxen. This put Raoul in a very good mood indeed, and even those who were disappointed at missing out on the Midwinter parties were glad to be heading for warmer weather.

On the way the Own helped build up flood defences at three separate villages, repaired a bridge that had rotted away and freed a small garrison besieged by hungry villagers.

Two weeks before Midwinter they skirted around fief Tirragen, through the last bit of Hill country and out into the warm sun of the Great Southern Desert. It was Raoul's plan to try and encourage some of the young Bazhir warriors to ride to Corus and try out for a place in the Second Company.

Qasim and the other Bazhir men were pleased to be returning to the land of sand and sun and were eager to share their knowledge of the desert with Kel; how to find the best places for water, which of the scrubby plants could be eaten and which were best avoided.

The first tribe they met were the Sandrunners and Kel was astonished to learn that Raoul

had joined their tribe many years ago, before he'd been assigned to the King's Own. The tribe were overjoyed to have one of their own return and the celebrations went on deep into the night.

A day and a half later they moved onto Qasim's tribe; the Sunset Dragon, and a day after that, they rode into very familiar territory indeed.

Kel hadn't quite worked out how to tell Raoul that she'd been adopted by the Bloody Hawk and had hoped that perhaps with a bit of luck, they wouldn't have passed through the territory of the Bloody Hawk; it was a big desert after all. Unfortunately, Kel's luck was to be found wanting.

All the riders dismounted and there was a general hubbub and confusion as Bazhir greeted soldiers, in particular welcoming Corporal Araam home.

The town's headmen were gathered in a small group and extended their welcome to Raoul and Flyndan. Set apart slightly Kel's eyes roved over the thronging crowd.

'El?' called a deep, shocked voice. It was Shar, his hair looking greyer than ever.

Knowing that she had been recognised and that others had heard, there was nothing for it but to greet Shar. Dropping Prince's rein Kel walked forward and was enveloped in a massive hug.

'Daughter you've returned home,' Shar said gruffly.

Raoul made his way over to see why a Bazhir man was hugging his squire.

'My lord, this is Shar, his son is the Shang Jackal.' The two men shook hands.

'You must come to our tent, both of you. Laila has food waiting and she will be so pleased to see you. Here-' Shar beckoned for two teenaged boys to come and take Drum and Prince. 'They will be cared for.'

Kel, not daring to look at Raoul, followed Shar back to the large tent and ducked under its awning.

'My dear, Elinah has arrived with the men of the King's Own.'

Out of the corner of her eye, Kel saw Raoul's eyebrows shoot up almost into his hairline.

Laila, veiled as the women of the Bazhir always were, practically flew forwards to embrace Kel.

'Come, come sit down, you must be weary from your travels, let me pour you some tea.'

Moments later they all sat cross-legged on the soft woven mats of the tent floor.

'It is an honour to have you with us again,' said Laila, 'Anything you or your friend need, our tent will provide.'

'That is most generous,' murmured Raoul.

'Oh not at all,' said Laila, whose smile carried through the veil on her voice. 'We owe El a great debt for rescuing our son.' Kel realised where this was leading and she felt as though ice-cold water had been tipped all over her. Before she could say or do anything however Shar had said, 'She freed him from slavery in Scanra.'

* * *

Oh I'm evil! But you know how this goes; review and you will be rewarded with a new chapitre! Thanks to **citrusfruit** who agreed to step in again and point out spelling mistakes :D

Until next time,

Adios!

Confusedknight xxx

PS. The song '_The Lily The Rose'_ does exist and I think there is a video of a choir singing it on youtube if you're interested…


	62. Putting it together

a/n- Thanks so much for all the reviews, as usual I loved reading all of them! Sorry about the slight delay with this update, the last week has been a bit of a whirlwind!! Results finally came out and I'm now definitely going to Cambridge Uni in October!! I'm so excited :D This has now given me a deadline; October 3rd. Fallen will be finished. That is my good news.

The bad news of the week is that my faithful computer has died :( I feel like I've lost an old friend and I'm missing my chunky keyboard terribly...Having written almost 300000 words using the old keyboard I'm having issues with the flat, stiff keys of this laptop :(

This chapter dedication is split 4 ways; to **elfie-may**, **citrusfruit** and my sister CONGRATS again on excellent results!! And finally to Dad (although you'll never read this) for bringing me bacon sandwiches in bed whilst I ponder what to write... :D

**Confusedknight** xxx

* * *

Kel felt like she'd been hit by an eighteen hand horse and a galloping eighteen hand horse at that. Her heart was thumping so madly and that it was hard to draw breath. Feeling light-headed Kel forced herself to look up, avoiding catching anyone's eye.

'That must be quite a story,' Raoul commented, with only a slight falter.

Everyone's attention was fixed on Kel as her brain worked madly. Blessed with quick-thinking that had helped her stay alive in Scanra, she replied.

'It's not as heroic as it sounds...you know that Fassin was travelling with the Shang Bear,' she nodded at Laila and Shar, for Raoul didn't know. 'Once the Shang Bear was killed, he was enslaved. When I discovered who he was I set him free. Then on my return to Tortall I came to the Bloody Hawk tribe, hoping to see him. The hospitality of the tribe led to me staying there for several months preceding my return to Corus.'

Shar beamed at the compliment. While Kel knew that Raoul would be able to pick a thousand holes in her story, she prayed that he could hold his questions back until they were out of present company. Glancing up into the unreadable black eyes of her knight-master Kel pleaded silently for Raoul to not bring up the matter again.

Despite her best efforts, Kel found herself thoroughly distracted from the mundane conversations that followed, and by the time she returned to their own camp a knot of anxiety had lodged itself at the base of her sternum. Kel's mouth had become paper dry and yet her palms were sweating at the thought of the conversation that awaited.

How much could she tell Raoul? She hated the thought of lying even more to her knight-master. Could she adjust her story to emit Alex? How could she deny her presence in Scanra after Laila's statement? Didn't her slave brand give her away even more? Let alone the foreign text on Courage's blade. Feeling like a prisoner stepping up to the gallows Kel ducked into the tent after Raoul.

Raoul collapsed down onto a low stool that had been placed in his tent. It didn't look terribly comfortable; the large man's knees were almost level with his shoulders.

'I once had a friend, a very good friend who went by the name of Alan.' He paused, 'As you must surely know Alan then turned out to be Alanna. Of course I had no problem with Alanna earning her shield; those who had trained alongside "Alan" knew better than most how much she deserved her title, but I was the only one of her close friends who didn't know. I had no idea that she was in fact, well a she, and it made me reassess several things that I had once taken for granted. People are complicated, so complicated that it may take years of trust and close interaction before we ever truly know someone. For that reason I have tried not to pry into the years that you were missing; I felt that you would tell me when the time was ready...but now I hear that you were in Scanra of all places, and...and I just wish that you would trust me...'

It was this last sentence that finally swayed Kel's decision. It would've been so much easier if he had shouted or threatened her; she could have created some story to explain all that needed explaining. The trouble here was that she simply liked Raoul too much, he had never treated her as anything other than a worthy warrior, an equal. Could she afford to give him the benefit of doubt and trust him?

Kel sank to the soft sandy ground and fought the urge to bury her head in her hands.

'Alright,' she said, meeting Raoul's eyes for the first time since Laila had made such a costly slip of the tongue. 'But it's a long story'

'Start at the beginning,' Raoul suggested gently, his expression encouraging. So Kel did.

She told him of her stay at the Weir's household, how, for a long time she had simply existed, not interested in anything, healing first her physical and then mental wounds. She spoke of the day that she had started to fight again, practising on her own and then teaching Fanche and her daughter's staff work. Raoul didn't interrupt as Kel related how she had decided to leave with but her sword and a few coins in her possession.

'I continued on until the money had gone, but then I got hungry and I, I tried to steal some food,' Kel said ashamedly. 'Needless to say I didn't get very far before I was caught,' she continued humourlessly. 'Anyway, that evening I met a man. He patched me up, fed me and asked me what I could do with my sword. We fought and of course he beat me easily,' said Kel, a faint faraway smile hovering about her face, 'but I could see from the way he moved that he was a natural swordsman. So I asked him to teach me.' Looking back on it, Kel realised just how impulsive the decision that changed her life irreversibly had been.

'Who was he?' asked Raoul.

Kel smiled in memory. 'His name was Alex. And he kept his promise; he taught me as we travelled, as we travelled into Scanra.' She paused, and then plunged recklessly on. 'You see Alex worked for Baron Cooper,' said Kel, her eyes emphasising what she didn't say out loud.

Raoul's mouth dropped open. 'You were working for _George_ the whole time?'

'Indirectly, well yes.' Kel admitted. 'At first it was the deal we had. In return for my swordplay lessons I...helped Alex with...his projects. No one suspects a slave,' she gestured to her arm, 'Least of all a young girl.'

'What do you mean at first?'

Kel hesitated, 'After a while when I learned a bit more, I wanted to help with what he was doing. And the sword training became a means to stay alive more than anything.' Kel fiddled with a loose thread on her cuff. 'Maggur's been around for a lot longer than everyone seems to think,' Kel said carefully. 'He's been taking over slowly for almost six years. By the time we experienced his strength, he already had quite an army.' Kel shuddered. 'But we escaped, as we always did, more thanks to Alex than anyone else. You should've seen him fight,' she breathed quietly. 'It was out of this world.'

'And was this Alex Tortallan?'

Kel shook her head, 'Scanran.'

Raoul started, 'A _Scanran_ taught you to fight like that?'

Kel had to stop herself from bristling at the unintended insult to Alex. 'When we go to war against Maggur,' said Kel steadily, 'Our biggest weakness will be just how much we underestimate Scanran fighting. Save for the few clan chiefs there are no nobles, status is granted on merit of skill with a sword or axe. They won't be easy opponents and there are _lots_ of them.'

Raoul seemed to be digesting the fact that his squire had been gallivanting around Scanra for such a long time.

'So how did you manage to free Fassin?' Raoul asked after a prolonged silence.

'It actually happened in a battle. Fassin was a slave fighter at the time and we ended up fighting. Somehow my helmet came off and he saw I was a girl, so instead of killing me he slipped away. I realised that the majority of the warriors were only fighting because they were enslaved and unable to do otherwise.'

'How did you free them from the binding magic?'

'By killing their master,' said Kel shortly. 'Fassin joined our side and stayed to fight, that's how we became such good friends. He saved my life actually, when I got shot.'

'Who's "our side"?'

'Anyone against Maggur,' said Kel grimly.

'Why so set against Maggur?' asked Raoul. 'Surely it doesn't matter who has power, others would just as likely try to invade.'

Kel couldn't tell Raoul about the personal injustice done to Alex by Maggur so she settled with;

'When I was living up there, I saw some of the worst things imaginable. Women bleeding to death in childbirth because no one cared enough to get a healer, children beaten for not keeping up with back-breaking work, families ruined, whole villages slaughtered just to prove a point, lives sold for as little as three silver pieces...it _has_ to stop, my Lord. And maybe, just maybe if there were a decent man in charge of Scanra then slavery could be abolished and they could live in peace.'

'So what made you return here?' Raoul asked.

'We ended up in a battle that we simply couldn't win,' Kel said sadly. 'Maggur besieged the clan where we were staying. Nearly two thousand people died that day...' her throat became very tight at the memory of Rhonda's last moments. After a slight pause she continued, 'Anyway, it turned out that Alex had know who I was the whole time. He told me to leave, to leave and take Prince with me, to go back to Tortall and show what I could do.'

'He just sent you away?' asked Raoul.

'Our job was getting harder and harder, Maggur was taking over everywhere and I can help more people here.'

'And have you heard from Alex since?'

Kel shook her head. 'Any contact might compromise undercover work.'

They sat there together in silence, knight-master struggling to fully comprehend the tale and Kel feeling oddly relieved that she had let at least one person in on some of her secrets.

* * *

They spent a couple more days with the tribe, Kel and the other men joining in horse races against the Bazhir lads. Some of the Tortallan bred horses were no match for the flighty Bazhir mares, but Prince, who's bulk and stature was of Scanran descent could keep up, using his musculature to power across the sand dunes. Kel also continued to joust with Raoul, something that the Bazhir found endlessly entertaining.

In the evenings Kel sought her revenge with the sword and managed to maintain an unbeaten record over the three day period. She helped the ladies cook, practised her trick riding, impressed Dom with a series of acrobatics and helped Raoul to draft letters to the Southern lords informing them that the Third Company would visit shortly after Midwinter.

When they left the Bazhir they journeyed further south than Kel had ever been, until they reached Kendrach where the presence of a Company of battle-hardened men deterred Carthaki smugglers from raiding the rich harbour town. From there they moved to Pearlmouth where the men exchanged late Midwinter gifts.

Raoul gave Kel a pair of soft, warm fur-lined gloves and in return she handed him a Yamani throwing knife that she had purchased from a merchant ship just returned from the Islands. She and Dom exchanged gifts in private, him having bought her pretty pearl ear bobs and Kel giving Dom a well-crafted belt with a special dagger concealed as part of the buckle.

Whilst several of the men moaned about not being able to enjoy the Midwinter parties in the North, Kel was pleased to note that Dom wasn't among the number morose over the lack of balls and pretty women.

From Pearlmouth they moved up to the Tyran border. The Company was shocked when a young man by the name of Jorse was shot through the neck by Tyran smugglers. Every single smuggler was rounded up and made to pay for the crime, but the loss of one of the Own on such a routine expedition had rocked the men and Kel saw a new level of alertness as they went about their work.

Standing next to Raoul at the young man's funeral, she sent up for a prayer for Jorse, who she'd only spoken to on a number of occasions. Kel alone saw the strain on Raoul as he had to write a letter to Jorse's family. It was every commander's curse; knowing that it was inevitable that they would lose men and yet still having to lead them into dangerous situations.

Kel wanted to say something consoling to Raoul, but every time she tried the right words failed to form in her head. Even though she had told Raoul the outlines of events in Scanra, he still didn't know the smaller details; how Kel had commanded men for instance. There just didn't seem to be a right way to tell him that she understood what he was going through. And even if she could would it be of any comfort?

They left the border outpost one man less than they had arrived and continued up the Drell river, fortifying flood defences as they went. It was gruelling work, digging and felling from dawn till dusk. Kel's hands rebuilt up the callus from the slave plantation and her back muscles remembered the strain, responding to it and growing stronger.

In March, when she had been with the Company for just over six months, they trekked westwards to the coast. By now Kel had been accepted completely; no one stared anymore nor had doubts about her willingness to fight or help out with the dirty work.

They were met at the coast by someone whom Kel was not desperate to see again; Baron George Cooper of Pirates' Swoop. Kel had tried to hang back, disguise herself amongst the milling company, but eventually she had been required at her knight-master's side. George, evidently a master actor hid his shock well; only a slight widening of his eyes gave away that he'd ever even met Kel before.

Raoul and George were obviously old friends and chatted amiably as they rode. This gave Kel the chance to observe the man who was not only the Lioness's husband, but also the Whisper man, the sole head of the Tortallan spy network.

The baron led the Company over a series of small trails over the coastal hills, an area that he was obviously familiar with, to the town of Bay Cove. By the use of mages scrying and plain spyglasses they were able to spot the Pirates' nest from a safe distance and plan their attack.

It wasn't until the pirates had been escorted to justice in Port Legann that George was safely able to confront Kel on her own.

'We've met before,' he stated.

Kel nodded.

'Ye were the lass with Alex.' It was not a question.

Kel nodded again. Her guard was fully up around this man who knew _exactly _who Alex was.

George suddenly let out a whoop of laughter. 'The 'ole realm's lookin' for a missin' lass and she passes righ' before me gods-blessed eyes and I don't even notice.'

Kel smiled weakly, still wary.

'So how long did you stay with him?' George's tone was back to it's noble accent.

'About two years,' said Kel shortly.

The Baron whistled. 'I should've put it together sooner. The whole Kingdom's a talking about how you can fence, and I've _seen_ Alex fight...' He trailed off, thinking, 'So you musta left about the time Somalkt fell.'

Kel suppressed her wince. 'Yes,' she replied again. 'Alex knew who I was and sent me back here.'

'Did he now?' Mused George. 'And have you had contact since?' He watched with large, bright hazel eyes as Kel shook her head.

'Well ye're telling the truth at least,' said George, sitting back in a chair. At Kel's questioning look he explained 'I have the sight you see, dead useful for someone like me.'

'Have _you_ heard from him?' Now it was Kel's turn to ask the questions.

'About two months back I had an update from an agent. Dundine and Toishore have fallen.'

Kel swore, cold dread filling her heart. Jacqui's family lived in part of the Dundine lands.

'For the moment it looks like we 'ave ter sit tight,' sighed George. 'Waitin' is the worst part of this job.'

'And that's it?' asked Kel, struggling to keep the confusion out of her voice. 'You aren't going to tell anyone about me and Alex?'

'I know full well that it is in Tortall's interests that Alex takes the throne. He alone can bring the peace that our two countries need. It's the reason that the Crown had been funding his exploits for years. If ye're part of some bigger plot to aid him, then so be it.' He gave Kel a calculating look 'Do ye plan on swearing yer allegiance to the King?'

And here it was; Tortall or Alex, the ultimate choice.

Kel said nothing; an awful lot could change in four years anyway.

'I only ask because Raoul and me own wife have a vested interest in ye,' his eyes were sharp.

'I will do whatever most benefits the people,' said Kel honestly. George nodded almost imperceptibly, his face unreadable.

'You know what is at stake better than most, it would be wise to-'

'No one will learn of the plan from me,' interrupted Kel. 'I've sworn by my life or death to set Alexei on the throne of Scanra.'

George nodded, 'Then so mote it be,' he finished gravely.

* * *

They departed from Baycove and rode up the coast, ferreting out smugglers and even once capturing slave traders. Kel's eyes burned with hatred as the slave traders were put to death. The Goddess only knew how many people they'd condemned to a terrible fate.

In April the Third Company had their largest skirmish of the year when they raided a Spidren's nest. Here Raoul ordered the use of blazebalm to help in the destruction of the breeding grounds. The acrid spell of the burning jelly brought back vivid memories of the bombardment of Somalkt on one of the worst nights of Kel's life.

In May, Raoul could find no more excuses to delay their return to the Progress and he grudgingly turned the troupe east, towards Whitehorn.

Kel was disappointed to find that Neal, Merric, Owen along with most of her page friends were not still riding with the Progress; she supposed that their knight-masters felt that they had to experience some normal knight's work as well as the easy task of serving at banquets and feasts.

So, whenever she wasn't busy with tilting practice or her other squire's duties, Kel divided her time between sword practice and spending time with the Yamani ladies and her mother. She also had to ensure that she continued to give Prince all the exercise that he needed. Used and built for long, hard journey's across Scanran terrain, the crawling pace of the progress was hardly the training that the big horse required to keep him in fighting shape.

Although Raoul jousted several times a week in response to various friendly and unfriendly challenges, Kel herself only ever jousted in practice, usually against her knight-master or one one his friends. It wasn't until one summer's afternoon, about three weeks after Kel's sixteenth birthday that she found herself tilting in answer to the challenge of a conservative knight; Sir Voelden of Tirrsmont.

It had all started when the stout knight had slapped her lightly with a glove. This was, as Kel knew, an insult to a noble but she ignored it. She had more important things to worry about than men who went around slapping people with riding gloves. The stupid man then made a big mistake and grabbed Kel's wrist.

Acting on instinct, Kel had pivoted and sent the knight crashing over her hip to land heavily in the dust, ruining his silken clothes. Red in the face with anger, he all but spat;

'I will see justice done in the tilting lanes. It will prove to everyone that filthy little trollops have no place to fight alongside men.' The insult was far too old to rile Kel, but she quietly said, 'Alright, I accept. Ten gold crowns if you lose.' It would be the only way to get him to leave her alone.

Kel didn't feel that she was ready to tilt with all these people watching. Despite all the extra hours of practice that she'd put in with rings and various other inanimate targets, Kel had still never even come close to beating Raoul.

These thoughts weren't even a little bit helpful, so Kel set about clearing them from her mind. She vaguely listened as the herald came over to instruct her. She already knew exactly how tilting worked, having watched Raoul hundreds of times over.

She could see Voelden at the other end of the tilting lane, resplendent in dark steel armour. His horse was a matching dark grey and equalled Prince in stature. Settling herself into the high-backed tilting saddle, Kel accepted a lance. At the sound of the trumpet she kicked Prince into a gallop and brought the lance down until it was horizontal, tucked neatly under her arm. Leaning forward, she aimed the lance and sent it crashing squarely onto his shield. He hit her fairly as well and with both arms half-numb from the impact Kel slowed Prince to a trot and turned him back to their end of the field.

As she readied herself once more, Kel wasn't even away of the crowd that stirred in the background. Her parents were watching, concerned for the safety of the daughter that had only just returned to them. So too were Raoul and quite a lot of Third Company, interested to see how Kel would fare against the fully-fledged knight.

They charged again, eight hooves kicking up dust from the worn tilting lane. Kel leaned forward to put more power behind the blow, just as Raoul had taught her to do. Her lance shattered as it sent Voelden's shield flying off, but rather than feeling the usual blow to her shield arm, it felt as though something extremely large had just stepped on Kel's chest.

Barely able to breath, with angry cries of "Foul" ringing in her ears, Kel lolled in the saddle, bouncing as Prince trotted neatly back to her end of the lane. Only able to take in short, gasping breaths, Kel sat up straighter in the saddle and looked down to where her breastplate had been bent inwards. The dimple was set slightly to the right of her heart; he had tried to run her through. She cursed under her breath; now she'd need to have her armour fixed since it obviously wasn't designed for this kind of impact.

The monitor passed up a fresh lance and Kel managed to rasp a 'Thank you' before she took up the reins once more.

Their third pass was fairly nondescript. The impact sent shooting pains through Kel's chest as she was slammed into the back of the saddle. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as her vision went momentarily grey. She was trying to breathe as little as possible to lessen the pain. Kel slowed Prince to a walk so that she wasn't being jostled as much.

The herald declared the result; a draw. The crowd howled their disapproval. Unfortunately no one could prove that Voelden's second hit was a deliberate foul, and the hit had therefore only been marked lower. Kel's third hit had also had marks deducted for the weakness of the blow; this left them on equal ground.

Her brain felt fuzzy from pain but Kel slithered from the saddle and drew her sword nonetheless. The big knight advanced on Kel. The fight was nothing more than a couple of pain-hazed minutes in which Kel used a mixture of swordplay and Shang kicks to best her opponent.

When the noise from the crowd reached such an intensity that Kel thought her throbbing head might explode, she saw through her swimming vision that Voelden appeared to be lying on the ground, unmoving. Kel staggered backwards and fortunately someone's strong arms caught her before she fell. Then she was being lifted off of her feet. The pain that this caused stopped her from slipping any further into unconsciousness. Turning her head slightly Kel saw the embroidered Goldenlake insignia and realised that it was her knight-master who was carrying her as though she were nothing more than an infant.

The air echoed with cries of 'Mindelan! Mindelan! Mindelan!' This registered in some far off portion of Kel's brain and she smiled faintly, though with her teeth clenched in pain it was more of a grimace than anything else.

Raoul deposited her on a couch in a walled tent and was shooed away by a group of women that included Queen Thayet and Kel's mother. Now that it was cool and quiet and Kel was lying down, it was much easier to think. A lady came in and announced that the healer was on her way.

Kel struggled to sit up, but firm hands held her down whilst others unbuckled the ruined breastplate, removed her helmet and mail. Someone was trying to remove Courage from her grasp, but Kel resisted, gasping 'No.'

When they peeled off Kel's sweat soaked, patched shirt there was a collective gasp of horror. There was an angry bruise spreading across her right side, but it was Kel's collection of scars that had shocked them more than anything. The white puckered mark across her collarbone, the jagged tear from where Kel had been shot and the myriad of healed cuts and gashes up her arms.

Although Lady Ilane's face showed no emotion, unshed tears glistened in her large eyes as she regarded her younger daughter. Kel looked away, her breathing still laboured as she fought to keep her ribs as still as possible.

All the ladies except for Ilane shuffled out of the way to let the healer through. The healer regarded Kel through bright amethyst eyes.

'My lady,' croaked Kel, looking up at the realm's only lady knight.

'Stay still,' the older woman commanded as Kel tried again to lift herself, 'Nealan.' And to Kel's horror tall, gangly Neal ducked into the tent looking every bit as uncomfortable as Kel felt. 'Every healer has to learn that at some point the injured may well be a comrade,' Alanna instructed, not unkindly. 'Take a look at Keladry and tell me your diagnosis.'

Neal bent down, his green eyes roving over Kel's assortment of injuries and not meeting her eyes. He placed a cool, long-fingered hand on her bruise where a shimmering green magic played and danced across Kel's skin. After about twenty seconds he withdraw his magic, although to Kel, who was holding her breath without realising, it had seemed a lot longer.

'An incomplete fracture of the fifth rib and a multi-fragmentary fracture of the sixth rib, with possible penetration into the pleural cavity. Localised swelling.' Neal reported, his face an odd ashen colour.

'Well done,' said Alanna stepping forward and kneeling down beside Kel. One rough, callused hand found Kel's free hand and gripped it, comforting and monitoring her pulse simultaneously. The other rested on Kel's skin and violet magic sprung down into the bruising, cooling and numbing it.

As the Lioness started to tease the bone fragments back together, shooting pains caused Kel to clench both hands tightly and grit her teeth. As soon as she did so however Alanna dealt with the pain. _Hadn't somebody once told her that the Lady Knight was the Realm's best healer?_ Kel's eyes began to close as the effects of the healing hit her and she drifted slowly downwards into painless oblivion.

* * *

-a/n- I tried to move the timeline on a bit, otherwise this will end up being far too long-winded :D Again, the events at the end are some from Squire but changed to suit my Kel...

Thoughts?

**Confusedknight xxx**


	63. Midwinter

**-a/n-** I apologise. I have no excuse. I have merely been procrastinating, and sleeping. A lot. Sometimes even sleeping to procrastinate...

Thanks for the reviews :D I loved reading them even if I did have to hunt for a while to find out where on _earth_ ff net had archived my story! Grr. I really, really hope it's changed back, and soon.

This chapter is dedicated to **Ally-Marty**, who has just finished her amazing fic 'The Only Volunteer'. It's a wonderful read and I'd thoroughly recommend it. Don't be put off by the Kel/Joren ship either, it's written in such a believable way! It's a credit to your fic Ally that I had such a hard time writing Joren into this chapter. I feel almost guilty at making him evil again. *sighs*

As usual some of TP's original ideas/comments are woven in here, I take no credit.

**Confusedknight** xxx

* * *

Even after Kel had fallen asleep Alanna continued to pump the young squire full of as much healing magic as she could, knitting the bone fragments together and repairing the tissues expertly. When she was finally satisfied, the Lioness stood up.

'She should sleep for several hours,' Alanna informed the anxious ladies, swaying slightly as the room swam before her eyes. Neal placed a steadying hand on his knight-mistress's shoulder and gently offered her some of his own gift to replenish her nearly exhausted supply. Alanna accepted and walked stiffly outside to find Raoul, Neal hurrying along anxiously behind.

'You used an awful lot of magic there,' Neal pointed out, thinking how healers were trained to conserve their magic and let the body do some of the work.

'It was an unfair injury,' snapped Alanna. 'And she'll have enough bother with conservatives challenging her left right and centre without having to worry about a healing injury. Besides, I've got some of my gift stored in opals in the unlikely event that I should need it again in the next couple of days.'

'Hmph,' said Neal, thinking of how he'd be seriously chastised for using that much magic on one patient.

'Is she alright?' asked Raoul, when the knight and squire found him loitering a short way from the tent.

'She'll be as right as rain tomorrow,' Alanna assured him. 'Besides,' she fixed a steely eye on Raoul. 'I'm more concerned about the various other injuries she's suffered. Bloody great gash across her chest, speared in the shoulder by an arrow, burns, cuts, a _slave brand_ and a very nasty healed break to her right wrist. What exactly has she been doing all these years?'

Raoul wanted to reply '_Ask your husband._' But held his tongue and said instead, 'I don't ask.'

* * *

Kel blinked, but struggled to move. It felt as though the linen blanket covering her was made of lead. She blinked again, unsticking her eyelids and a slightly fuzzy image filtered slowly into her brain. It took a few seconds for the image to clarify. Her large knight-master was hunched over a table facing the red-haired Lioness. As Kel levered herself onto her elbows she saw that they were playing chess.

Alanna looked around, her violet eyes positively glowing in the dim tent. She smiled and nudged Raoul. The big man stood up and made his way over to Kel, who was relieved to see that someone had dressed her in a shirt whilst she had been sleeping.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'Fine,' Kel answered honestly, 'just quite-' she yawned '-tired.'

'Well although it may feel healed, you'll need to give it time to build up strength naturally again. No exercise for two days and certainly no tilting for at least a week.' Alanna instructed firmly from her chair. 'It might also be better if you didn't let it about that it was I who healed you. Some dense conservatives might get it into their heads that I magicked you to earn your shield.' She grinned, 'As if you need any help.'

Kel blushed from the compliment and shifted so that she could sit up properly. 'What time is it?'

'About an hour before sunset,' Alanna informed her. 'I would recommend that you relocate to your tent and sleep for as long as possible.'

Kel nodded and climbed gingerly out of bed. Every movement required a great effort. Courage, resting in it's scabbard was laid on the bed next to where she had been lying. Grateful for their consideration, Kel picked up her trusty weapon.

'Will you be all right to walk?' Raoul asked casually.

'I'm fine.' She wasn't in any pain, but a limb-deadening tiredness had settled in Kel. It was similar to the way she'd felt after fighting at Somalkt with no sleep for two days. Determinedly, Kel stumped back to her tent and after taking a short drink of water, collapsed into her pallet fully clothed. Sleep came swiftly.

* * *

The progress moved on and Kel had begun to tilt again, this time with a new breastplate specially designed to withstand the impact of jousting. Kel had protested at the expense until Raoul informed her that he was purchasing it with the money that he won betting on her sword fights.

In late summer, Lucie of Cavall accompanied by her stiff-faced father and cheery Owen of Jesslaw joined the progress. This provided another distraction for Kel, who felt that she must always be doing something or training. If she kept busy then there were less minutes to brood over Scanra.

Kel quickly learnt to accept the offered matches; it prevented her from being challenged later on by conservatives who were set in their views that Kel had so far only won on sheer luck, and that any moment now the gods would set her in her place. Matches were safer and there was also no penalty for the loser. Although Kel lost not a single sword fight, she had her fair share of losses on the tilting lanes.

Kel noticed that the fully-grown Joren, still blond and beautiful, spent an awful lot of time amongst knights who later challenged Kel to matches. Joren himself never stepped forward as an opponent. Kel shrugged this off; let Joren associate with whoever he wanted.

Autumn came gilding the trees red and gold, and as Kel returned from glaive practice one morning she noticed that her breath hovered in a slight mist before her. She sighed, noting the end of a long summer. Suddenly there was a movement behind her and Kel felt her arms being pinned behind her back. She struggled but it was too late. She was held in a vice like grip and had no way of reaching her weapon. The attack had thrown her off balance and try as she might, Kel was unable to gain footing sturdy enough to try and counter the attack.

Joren stepped out coolly from a gap between two of the tents.

'Well, well,' he drawled. 'If it isn't the King's Own whore.'

'At least I've known whore's with more honour than you.' Kel retorted. It was a true statement; Kel thought of Rhonda.

Joren's rage flared up and Kel received a slap across the face that left her cheek stinging.

'Well you haven't changed Stone Mountain,' said Kel icily. 'Getting someone else to hold me down, how brave of you. Scared to face me on your own?'

Joren observed her with a calculating interest. 'What happened to _the Lump_? You _have_ changed, and in more ways than one,' Joren ran his hands from Kel's behind up across her stomach, lingering at her breasts.

Kel spat onto Joren's shirt furiously, wishing that she could do more.

Joren's expression hardened and he grabbed Kel hard by the chin, forcing her to look up into his hate-filled eyes.

'When I'm knighted you'd better watch out, bitch.' He nodded to whoever had been holding Kel and she was thrown off her feet to land heavily on the ground. Rolling, over she surged to her feet, face burning with anger.

Trembling with rage, Kel watched Joren walk away._ Let it go, let it go_ she chanted in her head, fighting her desire to either beat Joren to a pulp or challenge him officially.

* * *

A few weeks before the Midwinter festival began, the Progress turned south and headed back to Corus so that they would be in residence for Crown Prince Roald's Ordeal. Roald was not the only one due to enter the chamber; there were eleven fourth-year Squires that included Cleon, a large-redheaded youth whom Kel liked and also to Kel's distaste, Joren, Garvey and Vinson.

Kel hadn't forgotten Joren's threats and knew that when he passed his ordeal, she'd have to be extra careful to avoid any of the trouble that he was plotting.

However even the thought of Joren as a knight couldn't put a dampener on Kel's spirits. The return to Corus brought with it several bonuses; a proper bed, luxurious baths and also a lot more time able to be spent with Dom.

In the snowy city Kel and Dom could slip into anonymity. They walked down streets holding hands, enjoyed cosy meals in restaurants and went riding, stopping regularly for hot, steamy kisses out of sight.

Between her duties, training and Dom, the week until the festival began passed in a whirlwind. Kel felt that her cheeks had taken on a permanently pink colour; either flushed with cold or from the heat of the fires that burnt in every grate throughout the palace.

On the first night of Midwinter, Raoul disappeared off to help Kel's brother Inness to instruct Cleon in the code of chivalry. Following the ritual bath and instruction Cleon would have to sit a vigil overnight, preparing himself to enter the dreaded Chamber of ordeal at dawn.

When Raoul returned they played chess, Kel's mind occasionally flicking to Cleon, wondering how he was faring; alone and cold in the chapel. Both Kel and Raoul had a knack for strategy and their chess match was well fought on both sides. Eventually Raoul called 'Check' and the game was done.

Raoul fetched them warm apple juice and a freshly baked Midwinter cake and they sat before the fire and toasted Cleon. Kel's thoughts wandered. It would be three years before she was permitted to take her ordeal. Would the war have started by then? Kel felt sure that it would have, and wasn't even sure if she'd be in Tortall in three years time.

Rising early at dawn Kel was there to watch a very pale and shaky Cleon exit the Chamber, very much alive. At sunset he was knighted and Kel cheered with the rest. She tried to make her way over to congratulate Cleon in person, but he was surrounded by jostling people and Kel decided that it could wait until later. Instead she sought out her second oldest brother.

'You did a fine job,' she congratulated Inness.

'I had a good squire to work with,' he muttered, draining his tankard of cider and not looking at Kel.

It was strange, Kel thought that despite Inness being her brother, she felt very little connection to him at all. This tall, serious Knight was a far step from the few childhood memories she retained of her brother. With a small, polite bow Kel excused herself.

Their majesties were tired of entertaining and no large balls had been scheduled for Midwinter, so Raoul decided to host his own gathering in his Chambers with a select group of his and Kel's friends. Kel delivered invitations to Buri, Jerel of Nenan, Neal (Alanna was back at the barony for the holiday), Yuki, Princess Shinkokami, Prince Roald, Owen, Lucie and Lord Wyldon, several of the Rider captains and Third Company.

Whilst most of the Third Company popped in to say hello before leaving to go down to the taverns of the main city, some, including Dom stayed. Kel wanted to kiss him and wish him Midwinter's Luck but their present company prevented her from doing so and she had to content herself with catching his eye meaningfully and laughing at Neal's ridiculous antics.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the small gathering, even Raoul, who was far more comfortable than Kel had ever seen him at a party. At present he was sitting next to Buri, immersed in conversation, both of them leaning slightly inwards, intently.

When the party broke up at around midnight, Kel helped Raoul tidy and then returned to her rooms. Dom was waiting and they kissed silently before Kel shooed him from her rooms somewhat reluctantly.

Before Kel felt she'd had time to properly sleep a ham-sized hand was shaking her awake. Raoul stood over her with a grim look in his face.

'Sir?' asked Kel blearily.

'Vinson of Genlith has requested an audience with the magistrate.' Kel must've looked confused for Raoul said, 'Get dressed quickly, it's not usually good news when they request something so soon after leaving the Chamber.'

Scarcely ten minutes later Kel was seated next to Raoul in the courtroom, watching the pitiful display that was Vinson of Genlith. Face bruised and eyes swollen from crying the trembling squire fell to his knees, rasping out his confession. Cuts and marks kept appearing all over his exposed flesh before fading away and judging by the nature of Vinson's flinching, other invisible blows were being delivered all over his body.

Kel felt sick as Vinson confessed to beatings and rape of lower city girls. Sitting there with barely concealed horror on her face she watched as Vinson was placed under arrest and was half carried, half dragged away. It seemed as though the Chamber was intent on making Vinson feel every blow and injury he'd ever dealt on the defenceless.

Now that the royal family had left, people were standing up all around Kel, muttering darkly about the events that had just occurred. Kel just sat there, guilt washing over her. If she had reported Vinson's attack on Lalasa would he have gone on to rape those others? Could Kel's own, selfish desires not to draw attention to herself have allowed that monster to harm more women?

Her stomach heaving at these thoughts, Kel fled from the courtroom and out into the cooler corridor. Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes. A hard pair of hands grabbed her and registering that it was Joren, Kel rammed him back into the wall and punched wildly, feeling bone break under her fist. Then she darted away, still furious at both herself and Vinson.

She found her way outside and shivered, the temperature was well below zero. Snow, two feet deep covered the ground and as Kel began to tramp through it icy cold seeped through her boots and breeches.

The practice courts hadn't been cleared, but this wasn't going to stop Kel from doing what she usually did when it all became too much. She drew Courage and stamped out a small area, starting the hardest of her practice routines as the snow began to fall again.

Not dressed for the outdoors, the cold quickly wormed it's way in through Kel's clothing bringing with it an all-encompassing numbing sensation that calmed Kel's thoughts, bringing relief. Time slipped past and it wasn't until Courage slipped in Kel's numb grasp that she let the blade dip to the floor. Panting, the freezing air painful on her lungs, Kel shook off the snow that had settled on her hair and shoulders.

She thought of Alex who would have told her not to be so stupid, courting frostbite out in the cold like this. What good was it doing anyone? Just because Vinson had gone, it didn't mean that there weren't more men out there, ready to prey on women. Kel wondered what it would take for self-defence classes to be set up in the lower city...

* * *

The next day of Midwinter Kel had cheered up somewhat and exchanged gifts with her friends. She received a beautifully crafted warhammer from Raoul, a delicate bracelet from Dom, a jar of bruisebalm made by Neal and a lovely warm padded coat from Lalasa, accompanied with a note to say that business was booming.

That night Prince Roald sat his vigil and in the morning Kel made up part of the huge crowd that watched as the Prince exited the chamber shakily. Relieved and pleased that Roald had made it to knighthood, Kel decided to take Prince out for a ride.

She returned to her room to fetch her new coat and warm boots. There, laid on top of her bed was a small package. Kel opened it curiously and discovered two items within; a small sheathed dagger and a note. She began to read, a grin splitting across her face.

_Little one,_

_I hope this finds you in good health. I apologise for not having contacted you earlier, it has been difficult even now to find a trustworthy courier. Our Shang friend found me several months back and informs me how well you are doing. Stick to your training, there is very little that can be done here now. We try of course, but it is increasingly difficult and we now look towards the future, one which you and your comrades will play a large part in. Defend your homeland well._

_I think of you often and pray that we will meet again one day,_

_Your brother._

The message was somewhat cryptic and lacking in detail, but Kel supposed that it had to be, for safety. She sat back on the bed, dazed and filled with a fresh hope and happiness. Examining the dagger, she discovered that it matched Courage in design and tempered-blue blade.

She pushed her head around Raoul's door. 'Did you hear anyone come in and leave a package?' Kel asked.

Raoul looked up from his desk which was covered in paperwork and shook his head. Kel sighed, she hadn't really expected one of Alex's subjects to be noticeable.

'It's Midwinter,' Kel pointed out, 'You're not meant to be working.'

'Well I can't leave it until the gods-cursed progress starts again,' Raoul explained with a sigh.

'Do it later,' Kel urged. 'Come for a ride.'

Raoul looked up, surprised at his Squire's obvious good mood. 'Alright then,' he agreed.

Warm in her brand new coat, Kel rode happily through the city engaged in relaxed conversation with her knight-master. They bought warm, toffee coated apples from a street vendor and munched as they rode. The conversation turned to the evening's entertainment.

'Will you be hosting another party?' Kel wanted to know.

'If only,' grouched Raoul. 'I've received a summons from Sebila of Disart, my great aunt, who informs me that plenty of relatives and eligible women will be assembled at her town house to greet me this evening.'

'Oh,' said Kel, seeing to the heart of the problem. 'They'll want to know why you aren't married?'

Raoul nodded gloomily. 'They will discuss my lack of a wife in loud voices whilst my Aunt proclaims me to be "a feckless gawp of an overage boy" who ought to be grateful and settle for one of the ones that no one else wanted because I've left it far too late.'

Kel didn't reply, thinking hard. 'What about if you brought someone along with you, that way they can't try to match you up.'

'But if I bring a lady along, they might think that I mean something by it and I don't want to-'

'Buri,' said Kel suddenly. 'Invite Buri, then you'll at least have someone sensible to talk to.' Kel watched for her knight-master's reaction, he and Buri were good friends but Kel wondered whether there were more feelings involved. 'I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you out,' Kel pressed on, 'I'd help my friends in a situation like that.'

Raoul cheered up a bit for the rest of the ride, although not quite managing to match Kel's excessively cheerful mood. When they returned to his chambers, Raoul drafted a quick letter and sent Kel to deliver it.

'Oh, how could I turn my back on him,' Buri grinned at Kel. 'Imagine, the Giantkiller needing protection from his Aunt! Tell him I'll do it, it's appropriate to spend Midwinter with friends.' Kel left feeling pleased with herself. Taking a quick detour she sought out Dom under the pretence of delivering a message. When they were alone, Kel whispered, 'Are you doing anything this evening? Raoul's going off to a family party...'

'I do believe that I'm taking a Lady Squire out for dinner,' Dom interrupted, pressing a quick kiss to Kel's lips.

'And at what time should the Lady Squire expect to met her dashing young sergeant?'

'Around the seventh bell,' Dom replied with a wink, before slipping back to his squad mates.

Whistling a Midwinter tune happily, Kel trotted back to her knight-master and helped him with the paperwork for several hours, enjoying a leisurely lunch brought to Raoul's chambers. When Raoul finally stood up with a stretch and declared that he'd better smarten up for the party, Kel retreated to her own rooms, washed herself quickly using a sponge and a basin of warm water and dressed again in a pale blue shift and fawn gown that had been a present from her parents. Pinning her hair up loosely so that strands fell down to frame her face, Kel fixed earbobs in place and put on her new bracelet, admiring it as she did so.

Kel heard Raoul leave, hurrying to go and pick up Buri on time so that he wouldn't be late for the dreaded family gathering. Kel shook her head, it amazed her how some families could become so obsessed about marriage, never mind that Raoul was one of the most renowned and respected warriors in the Kingdom...

Waiting for Dom she sat on her bed, sword in hand. Kel was debating internally whether or not to strap it on over the dress. It wasn't so much the fact that it ruined the look of the outfit, but more a matter of whether she could let go of the security it gave her. Kel forced herself to lay Courage down and instead strapped two daggers onto her belt, and shifted them round to her back so that they were hidden between her dress and cloak.

Minutes later Dom arrived and whisked Kel away down into Corus. They had to be cautious leaving the palace that no one saw them together, even if few would link the happy, laughing noble lady in Domitan of Masbolle's company with the serious, determined squire to the Lord of Goldenlake.

Over dinner the couple talked about anything and everything. They joked about mutual friends, discussed how long it would before Raoul could find something to lure the Third Company away from Progress again, Dom told Kel about all his elder brothers and in turn Kel described her large family. When the meal was done, they sipped hot cider together, Kel tucked neatly into Dom's side.

The letter from Alex had alleviated her worries about being back in Tortall, Kel was where Alex wanted her to be. She had spent an enjoyable day with Raoul and now, kissing Dom, Kel couldn't remember ever being happier.

Returning late, Kel noted that there was no light seeping from under Raoul's door, was he still being detained by his family? Kel pulled Dom inside her room and pushed the door shut. Once again they drew together, hands caressing, joined at the lips.

Dom made to pull away, 'Stay' murmured Kel, drunk with happiness and love for the man that held her tightly.

* * *

Kel opened one bleary eye, she could hear a person or persons shouting. Light was creeping into the room from underneath the shutters and Kel could make out Dom's muscular form lying next to her. She felt unnaturally content, safe, tucked beneath Dom's arm.

'You should go,' Kel murmured, kissing her sleepy lover.

The shouting noise was getting louder, noisy footsteps in the corridor. Both sat upright, now alert. Kel clutched the sheet about her bare form and Dom slipped out of the bed, struggling into his breeches and hunting for his boots in the near darkness. Kel reached for the nearest garment of clothing and pulled it on, it was a large shirt. Right outside her door, Kel heard a lady shouting, pleading 'No.' Before Kel had time to react, her front door smashed open.

Leaping up, Kel threw open the shutter, letting wintery sunlight stream into the room. She reached for Courage, only to find that her sword was not at her hip.

'Trollop, you killed my boy!' shouted the man that was striding across the room towards her. Kel didn't know who on earth the stranger was, and when a second man and a woman entered she discovered that she didn't know them either.

Not taking her eyes off of the crazed man, Kel fumbled around for a knife, dagger or any sort of weapon on the dresser behind her. Dom sprang into action, taking the older man by surprise, knocking the sword from his grip. Dom struggled to hold onto the well-dressed man, even with the help of the other two strangers.

The door that separated Kel's room from Raoul's sprang open. Her knight-master, dressed only in a loincloth surveyed the situation with his dark eyes; Kel standing shocked against the back wall a knife now closed in her fist, Dom, also half-dressed, panting with the effort of holding back the madman who was intent on getting to Kel.

Buri, clad in a blanket, appeared at Raoul's elbow seconds later, clutching a knife like Kel.

Raoul strode over to help Dom and between them they managed to pin the snarling, cursing man against the wall. The woman was crying so hard that the babbling of her male companion was incomprehensible.

Kel stepped forward, very glad that Dom's shirt was large enough to cover most of her thighs. Clutching her weapon she spoke, 'Who are you?'

When the man swore and cursed angrily back at her, Raoul pressed a broad forearm across the man's throat until he fell silent, blue eyes bulging.

'If my Lord of Stone Mountain intends to try and carry out his threats then I will kill you.' Kel had never heard such a dangerous tone in Raoul's voice before.

'He is maddened by grief,' gasped the woman, 'He doesn't know what he says.'

'My nephew is dead,' the other stranger half-shouted. 'The Chamber of Ordeal opened on his corpse.'

'Joren's dead?' asked Kel.

Joren's mother nodded briefly and then looked away from Kel, tears streaming down her pointed face.

Kel felt a thread of pity for the woman that had evidently loved her son, but she felt no remorse for Joren. Anders had once told Kel that the chamber of ordeal was a hammer, and it seemed that Joren had been too inflexible to survive it's rigours.

When Raoul relieved the pressure from the Lord of Stone Mountain's windpipe, the tirade of insults started afresh.

'Jumped up merchant slut, sleeping your way into favours-,' at this he glanced contemptuously at Dom.

'You are stretching my patience,' said Raoul, his voice soft and deadly. 'Kel couldn't possibly have influenced the chamber, nothing can. Now I am sorry for your loss and won't ask to settle the insult to my Squire by combat.' He released Lord Burchard disgustedly.

'He was _never_ the same after you arrived! And now with you in Corus two lives have been destroyed, you little witch-'

Dom, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, swiftly punched Burchard, knocking the air from his lungs and preventing any further insults. Raoul gave the young sergeant a warning look.

'I think Joren acquired his imperfections long before he met me,' said Kel coldly. 'You moulded your son so rigidly that not even the attentions of two training masters and his knight-master could change his ways. You condemned him to this fate.'

'Why you little trollop-' and he lunged for Kel once more.

'_Enough_,' Raoul hauled him back. 'One more word against my Squire Stone Mountain and you will answer to me by the sword, lance and every other weapon in the King's armoury, do you understand?'

The deranged Lord had turned an ugly puce colour, veins throbbing on his temple, but he said nothing, and allowed his wife to pull him away.

'We understand that the gods have lost faith with our withering realm,' snapped Joren's uncle. 'The chamber's failing is proof. Although,' he sneered, 'what else do you expect when then men in charge are seduced by foreigners and harlots wielding swords.'

_'I make allowance for your grief_.' Rage seemed to crackle over every inch of Raoul's skin and Kel was shocked at how intimidating her easy-going knight-master was. It was frightening.

'Go and bury your son,' Buri spoke up, 'and take your bile with you.'

Joren's uncle left hurriedly after his brother and sister-in-law. They did not close the door.

Kel, unable to help herself, threw her knife viciously into the door through which the Stone mountain's had just left. It embedded in the wood with a thud, slamming the door shut. The remaining three glanced at her, shocked because she was usually so contained.

All of a sudden Kel felt very trembly, the shock of having such a start to a morning.

Raoul was running his hands through his hair.

'Sir-,' Dom started.

Raoul gestured with a large hand, 'Save it. Right now I need a drink.' He collapsed into Kel's desk chair, rubbing his face.

Kel shakily set about pouring juice, although her hand was so unsteady that quite a lot of it missed the cups. Buri declined the drink, hoisting the blanket more firmly around her shoulders.

When she handed Raoul his drink, Kel didn't meet his eyes until one warm, firm hand pushed her chin up. 'Don't you listen to them for one moment, Kel. Your presence as a squire, your skill with the blade, they're challenging opinions, and for those whose brains haven't turned to mud, you make them think, reconsider and remember that not so long ago there were Lady Knight's roaming throughout the lands.'

Kel nodded. 'Sir I'm sor-' but like Dom had been, Raoul hushed her too.

'I'm hardly in a position to judge Kel,' said Raoul softly, looking up at Buri with a slight grin.

The K'mir smiled back. 'I'm going to back to bed,' she announced. As Kel went to offer Dom a drink, Raoul stood up.

Dom, removed the tray from Kel's cold fingers and enveloped her in a warm, comforting hug. Over her shoulder he met Raoul's eyes and a look of acceptance passed from the older man to the younger.

The couple pulled the door to Kel's room shut behind them.

'Young love,' smirked Buri.

'Older love isn't so bad either,' whispered Raoul, craning his neck down to kiss the commander of the Queen's Riders.

* * *

**-a/n-** Well, better late than never I suppose! Will I meet my deadline? Who knows... If you're lacking in something to read, go and read 'The Only Volunteer' or re-read 'Squire' and play spot the difference!

A question: how many of you would be interested in a pdf version of Fallen, spell-checked and possibly with some graphics/extra bits and pieces? **SavingSaturn** suggested it and I was wondering what the general consensus was...

Please leave some thoughts on the chapter; feedback makes me very, very happy :D

**Confusedknight** xx


	64. Moving forward

**-a/n-** Ha! So last chapter lots of you picked up on the fact that I don't play chess! I apologise, I'm now a lot wiser -it should've been checkmate!

Oh dear -sighs- I'm really so, so sorry about not writing anything for _months_. Well, not writing anything un-scientific at any rate. It would be impossible for me to keep up with work and write during term time. I hope you guys understand and bear with a stressed student trying to complete a very, very long fanfiction. (Over 3 years I've been writing Fallen...)

Much love and peace at Christmas,

**Confusedknigh****t** xxx

* * *

The next morning Raoul kept the discussion about the previous night mercifully short.

'I'm not your father Kel, but as your knight-master I have a certain amount of,' he paused, 'responsibility for you. I don't expect you to give up your private life just because you're a squire. Mithros knows most squires are notorious for...ah...well,' Raoul flushed beet red. 'You're quite capable of making your own decisions and as long as you're careful not to get pregnant and it doesn't affect your working relationship with Sergeant Domitan, then I will, shall we say, turn a blind eye.'

Fighting her own blush, Kel nodded, 'I'm sorry my Lord if this-'

Raoul wouldn't hear it. 'Personally I like seeing you this happy, and Dom is a good man who's going to make a fine commander one day.' Raoul shooed Kel off to breakfast.

After she had eaten a light meal, Kel made her way into the indoor practice courts where she found several of her other year mates sparring against each other. Neal was sat in the corner wrapped up warmly, with his nose buried in a book. Kel went over to her friend, 'I'm fairly sure that these courts are for training and not reading,' Kel teased, removing her outer coat and beginning to stretch out her legs.

'I am enjoying a respite from my barbarian of a knight-mistress.' He sniffed haughtily, 'Just because some of you enjoy thumping other people with swords all day long doesn't mean that I should miss out upon acquainting myself with some of the greatest literary works of the last decade. You should try reading some time, in fact I think you'll like one I read the other day, written by Fennell of Tasride who was a general to King Roald in his day, going quite barmy now according to Seaver and spends most of his time-' But Kel wasn't listening to Neal's monologue, she had paused from her stretching and was watching trouble approach.

'Cold last night wasn't it,' called over a Knight whose fine clothes and disapproving scowl marked him as one of the conservative. 'Fancy warming my bed this evening Mindelan? There's word about the Palace that your services are on offer '

Merric and Esmond stopped their duel and took a threatening step towards the man.

'Leave it,' said Kel, struggling to keep her voice even. _Of course_ the Stone Mountain's would have spread it about that she hadn't been alone last night.

'Oh sorry,' sneered the Knight, looking at the angry faces of Kel's friends, 'I didn't realise that there was a queue.'

Merric and Esmond strode forward and Kel and Neal only just made it over in time to stop them from attacking the ugly Knight.

'Leave -it' hissed Kel. 'He's not worth the bother.'

'Go spread your lies elsewhere Groten,' said Neal disdainfully.

'Oh lies are they?' He smirked at Kel and stalked away.

Once he'd left the practice arena, Kel and Neal felt it safe to release the others.

'How can you stay so calm?' asked Merric in outrage.

'Practice,' said Kel, thinking that at least for the first time the basis of the rumour was true. She turned away, retreated to her corner and began to warm up her arms.

'As much as you can do your Yamani calm face all day long, it might be wise to sometimes challenge them. The Lioness finds that beating conservatives with a sword shuts them up for a while.'

'Neal drop it,' Kel replied flatly, drawing her sword and swinging it experimentally.

'Well I'm just warning you that it could just keep getting worse. They're furious that their golden boy Joren didn't pass the Ordeal. You ought to be careful, some have it in their thick skulls that you're linked to the failures, which is complete nonsense of course. It is interesting though, two failures in one year when statistically Bruin of Disart calculated over six decades that the estimated rate of failure was one per-'

Kel groaned inwardly and began her routines; some days Neal could be insufferable.

Kel sparred against Esmond and Merric before fighting them both at the same time. She even bullied Neal into fighting two brief rounds. Wiping her brow, Kel noted the arrival of the Yamani ladies and bowed to her Squire friends before hurrying over to greet them.

Lady Ilane hugged her youngest daughter, 'Kel, will you join us?'

'Yes Mama, but I will need to go and fetch my naginata.'

Kel set off for her room at a run whilst the other ladies began to warm themselves up. With any luck she'd be back by the time they'd finished. She skidded to a halt in front of her door and pushed it open. Kel was about to go over and pick out her glaive from her weapons rack when she heard a voice that made her stop in her tracks.

'I understand, Sir.' It was Dom.

Thinking that it would be very embarrassing indeed if she was caught eavesdropping, Kel noisily shut the door behind her and selected her glaive.

'Kel?' It was Raoul.

'Do you need me my lord? I've been asked to join the women for glaive practice.'

'No, go ahead,' he called, 'I need to go and visit Gary, er Gary the Younger that is. It promises to be a boring meeting from which I'll return with a lot of paperwork.'

'I will see you later,' called Kel.

Kel's first partner was the peppery Yukimi noh Daiomuro. Having trained with the naginata almost every day for the last twelve years of her live, Yuki was more than proficient with the weapon. Kel relied more on her quick reflexes and brute strength, but they were well-matched for practice fighting.

Though usually only sparse comments punctuated the clash of weapons, this morning there was a topic on everyone's lips; Joren's death.

'I think it is good that there is an impartial judge for such matters,' Yuki had declared. 'It ensures that no one receives the honour on lineage alone.'

They rotated, changing partners so that Kel paired off with the Queen.

'You knew Squires Joren and Vinson,' commented the Queen with a graceful sweep of her glaive. 'Would you have let them enter the Chamber?'

'I didn't know that they could be prevented from doing so,' said Kel, politely evading the question.

'According to Jon, there are ways that they can be discouraged,' replied Thayet darkly. 'Would you have done so?' she pressed.

'Joren was a bully, and never acted with any chivalry towards me,' said Kel slowly, 'but there are plenty of knights who behave similarly, so I had no reason to suspect that the Chamber would...well...'

'It sees to the heart of a man, or woman,' Lady Ilane had stopped duelling Lady Haname and nodded to Kel. 'It is why Tortallan Knights are respected across realms,' she explained to the Yamani ladies.

'It saw to the heart of that disgraceful Squire,' commented Lady Haname.

Kel's next swing of her glaive had slightly more power behind it than she intended and Queen Thayet had to take a step back to regain her balance.

'Sorry,' muttered Kel, continuing on with the exercise.

'And now it will deal out a more effective punishment than the courts ever could,' Yuki agreed.

'It doesn't help the women though,' Kel spoke out, surprising herself, 'the ones he hurt. They'll still have to live with what he did to them.'

'That is true,' said Ilane sadly, 'but there is little that we can do for them now.'

'Jon and I have been recruiting more guards for the city in an effort to prevent this sort of thing,' said the Queen, sweeping her glaive in a graceful arc.

'With all due respect, your Majesty,' Kel said carefully, 'Even the most diligent of guards cannot cover every alleyway of the city.'

'So what would you suggest?' asked Thayet equally politely, her beautiful eyes fixed on the Lady Squire.

'Self-defence lessons,' said Kel and with a final flourish of her glaive she relinquished Thayet of hers. 'Starting perhaps in the schools with the young girls so that they grow up knowing basic ways to discourage unwanted attention. Set up classes in the temples and then those that learn can pass it on to their family and friends. Streets in the Lower City are close things, it'll get around.'

The Queen gave Kel an unreadable look, but Kel held her ground. Queen of Tortall or not, Kel had a point to get across.

'I will propose it at the next council meeting, perhaps using Vinson's example to gain support. I know the Priestess's will agree with changes to safeguard women.' She mused. 'I should warn you that it may take a while before anything can be implemented.'

Kel blinked, startled that she didn't have to argue her cause further. She was just opening her mouth to respond when Buri appeared, a welcome distraction.

'Thayet you're needed in the Throne Room, the Lord of Stone Mountain is insisting upon a royal hearing.' Buri reported curtly.

Sighing, the lovely Queen picked up her fallen glaive. Kel bowed dutifully and Thayet inclined her head. 'You'll have to excuse me Squire Keladry,' and she hurried across the arena, her movements willowy and graceful.

'Kel,' the Rider Commander smiled, acknowledging her presence. Kel grinned shyly back, thinking of the secrets they both shared.

As Buri left, Kel excused herself also; Raoul would be returning soon and she should go and help him complete his paperwork.

* * *

The other seven ordeals passed without incident and with the nine new Knights in tow, the Progress set out across the Kingdom once more. Third Company rode ahead, scouting through hostile, uninhabited sections of the realm to root out any who might prey upon the riches of the Progress.

All around Kel saw signs of people struggling to make an existence. Whilst the visiting monarchs could do little to improve the livelihoods of everyone, it bolstered spirits to see the pomp of the Progress, and all the entertaining involved brought business to small, struggling shops.

Despite Shinkokami's worries, the public loved their new Yamani Princess and gazed on her with the same adoration that they normally reserved for Queen Thayet the Peerless.

As the crawling progress neared Irontown, Raoul took one half of Third Company in a north-easterly direction, riding hard for the river Olorun. Faces pink and chapped with cold they stormed through the snowy countryside, Raoul reminding them all that they were a fighting force and not just guards to over-dressed nobles.

Their destination was the wide valley where the river from Lake Naxen filtered into the Olorun. The area was known for flooding and at the request of the Mayor of the town, the King had agreed to send his men to erect some barriers against the flood that would come when the snows melted.

Master Numair, the black-robe mage had volunteered to go along and help with the work, lonely and bored without his lover the wildmage Daine. The mage, to Kel's astonishment had transformed himself into a hawk and now dove in and out of view far above them, impatiently waiting for his slower companions.

As they crossed the dazzlingly white landscape Kel was reminded of her sled ride with Alex across the great tundra of Scanra. As she shifted uncomfortably in the saddle and unclenched her frozen fingers from around the reins she thought longingly of the fur-lined sled.

Occasionally flurries of snow swirled down on top of them, fat flakes landing on Kel's eyelashes and clinging to her clothes. When they made camp in the evening the men built up several bonfires which Master Salmalin started with a great roar of flame.

They spent their evenings huddling as close to the fires as they could safely get, pressed shoulder to shoulder, weary but cheerful. This travelling was totally different to her time spent in Scanra. There it had just been the two of them, and often when cold and wet conversation had been sparse. In a group of fifty three there was always some noise, someone bantering and lifting spirits. When Kel laughed along, particularly at some of the men whom she'd got to know well, it felt nice to be part of such a big team.

The work at Riverscross was back-breaking. On the first day, to the utter awe of all who watched, Numair, playing a small recorder, summoned boulders as big as carriages and set them in to line the river bank which had been scraped clear by the townspeople. Swaying slightly as his tune came to an end Numair was helped back into the village by the headman, who was looking at the mage with an expression that mixed between reverence and downright terror.

It was then up to the Own to build upon these foundations. And build they did. Snow-laden trees were felled and chopped. Frozen earth was chiselled out of the ground and set around the rocks. The planks of wood were set on the side of the bank that faced the river. Hot tar sealed the cracks between the planks of wood.

Kel was disgusted to find that her hands blistered from the shovel that she was using to prise out the rock-hard terrain. What had happened to her calluses from her plantation days? She dug fiercely, rarely stopping to take a break. Mud-soaked from slushy snow her face took on a grim expression. No one dared to suggest that she wasn't prepared to shoulder the hard work anymore.

Despite the drudgery of her daily tasks Kel forced herself to strip off her sodden outer clothes and run through her sword exercises every evening before dinner. One night she was just sheathing Courage in the mud-encrusted scabbard when Numair strode out of the trees.

'Good evening,' Kel said, bowing politely.

The mage looked around, thoroughly startled. His slightly unnerving eyes turned from the heavens onto Kel.

'Ah Keladry,' he said, slowly as though his mind was only half on the task. 'I have a favour to ask of you.' Kel listened, shocked. 'Daine has just flown in,' he gestured above his head. Kel looked up and suddenly realised Numair's sudden fascination with the sky. About ten metres above his head, difficult to see in the dark grey sky, hovered some sort of bird that Kel took to be the wildmage. 'Daine would like me to ask you if it would be possible for her to borrow clothes for this evening.'

'Of course,' said Kel, slightly bemused.

The indeterminate bird of prey swooped down and landed on Numair's arm. The man stroked bird-Daine with a huge, gentle finger.

Kel hurried to her tent and fished out the cleanest clothes that she could find, including a shirt, breast band and breeches. Unlike the men who could often fish clean clothes from the supplies, Kel had to ensure that she packed all the clothing that she needed. The thought of asking the quartermaster to supply breastbands brought a smile of amusement to her face.

She handed the clothes to the mage who had been one of her teachers in the Palace, a lifetime ago.

* * *

Two days later as they departed from Riverscross the wildmage and lover flew ahead into the bright blue sky of the morning.

'Daine needs to report to the King,' Raoul commented to his squire as the pair of hawks disappeared from sight.

'Why?' asked Kel startled, 'Where had she been?'

'There was a time,' Raoul began slowly, signalling for the Own to proceed with his right hand, 'when we'd have to wait until the snow cleared for news of goings on up north. Since the gods blessed us with Daine however, it's been possible to gather information all year round.'

A fleeting look of longing obviously must've passed across Kel's face for Raoul said gently, 'Maybe you could have a word with George and ask if he's heard anything from your friend. Alanna's rejoining the Progress at Persopolis and if I know them George'll be there too.'

Kel nodded tightly, shocked that Raoul could read her so well. She rode on lost in thought, half desperately hoping for any scrap of news and the other half of her terrified that the news would be bad.

* * *

Raoul's prediction turned out to be true. George did indeed join the Progress at Persopolis. It was the first time that Kel had seen him with his wife. She watched the spymaster as he observed his wife, calming her whenever she seemed poised to explode into one of her famed rants, love evident in his every gaze and Kel decided that love definitely worked in strange ways.

The Bazhir were excellent hosts and the squires were not required to serve at any of the lavish banquets held in the granite castle. Kel dined alongside Raoul and shared a table with a remarkable array of people. On the first night their table had been mainly composed of knights who all seemed to be battle-hardened and only Sir Geoffrey of Meron, a friend of Raoul's from his squire days, seemed to take any interest in her as Raoul's squire.

On the second night they joined the high table and whilst Raoul spoke at length with the King Kel found herself in the pleasurable company of the Yamani ladies. It was refreshing to share female company and the evening passed quickly.

On the third night she dined with Baron Cooper and Lady Alanna, whom Kel was shocked to see in a violet gown. Neal also shared their table and Kel was having a thoroughly enjoyable evening until the topic of Scanra arose.

Sir Gareth of Naxen voiced his concern about the "new" Scanran warlord, Maggur Rathhausak. Kel's hands clenched involuntarily under the table.

'He's only got a gaggle of clans to cooperate,' pointed out a large, grey-haired knight lounging back in his chair, hands crossed across his full stomach.

Kel thought in disbelief of the might of the army that had faced them at Somalkt, when Maggur only controlled five clans. Since then he'd acquired three more. Why couldn't these people see the threat that faced them?

'And the northern clans will never work together,' reasoned Sacherall of Wellam, helping himself to another date.

Didn't they not realise that the northern clans might not have any choice?

'They'll be killing and cursing each other come spring, mark my words,' said Sir Jeral of Nenan, 'That country's never had any structure.'

'Mayhap,' said Baron Cooper lightly, 'What do you think Squire?'

Kel started slightly at being addressed and looking into those hazel eyes she knew this was a test.

'I have little knowledge of how scanrans associate Baron,' Kel said seriously, 'but surely even if the northern clans dissent there is still nothing between us and the united southern clans.'

Kel wasn't sure why the Baron was trying to keep everyone uninformed about the gravity of the situation but for now she had little choice other than to play along.

'Tinei still stands though,' piped up Neal, 'And that covers a great deal of our border.'

'Exactly!' roared a red-faced knight, banging his fist down onto the table. 'And even if the little buggers are stupid enough to attack then we'll crush the swine.'

'Here, here,' murmurs of agreement came from around the table. After that the conversation fragmented and Kel was left pretending to listen to Raoul and Sacherell's discussion, fuming all the while.

_"Defend your homeland well_," Alex's words bounced around Kel's head, filling her with anxiety. How should she interpret that? The majority of the warriors at the dinner table needed to be made aware of the seriousness of the threat that Maggur posed, and yet George was here pretending that everything was going to be alright. _He hasn't seen the destructive power of Maggur's amies first hand_, thought Kel, angrily stabbing a peach with her desert fork.

'A copper for your thought's?' muttered Raoul, watching his apparently happy squire attack her pudding.

'I'm thinking that some drunkards should learn to control their mouths,' Kel replied in an undertone, watching the red-faced knight who was now loudly proclaiming that there wasn't a force in any kingdom that matched the might of the Tortallan army.

'Let Maggur come,' he hiccuped, 'we'd match all thirteen of his clans in battle.'

'Maybe,' Kel said quietly so that only Raoul could hear, 'but he'll have fourteen by the time he's through.

* * *

The Progress departed east into the hill country and then turned south. They trailed through fiefs, sat through meetings with ambassadors and watched various trade agreements being drawn up between Tortall, Tusaine and Tyra. Kel endured all of it with a grim determination, gauging the power of each of the politicians and nobles in turn, how much their opinion counted. In the evenings Raoul drilled the men hard and this allowed Kel to release her frustration constructively. Each day they crawled further and further away from Scanra, further away from Alex.

When Buri rode in with two rider groups requesting aid it was a blessing from the Gods. Even the men who claimed to love all the parties that the Progress brought had grown tired of the constant entertaining.

They rode with a renewed energy to help several flooded towns stretched out along the river

Drell. Unable to cope with the melting snows in the north, the Drell had overflown, the raw power of the river sweeping through fields destroying crops, sweeping away villagers and ravaging homes.

When they arrived at the first town it was still knee-deep in muddy brown water. Kel dismounted along with all the other men and winced as the freezing liquid seeped down into her boots.

So began ten days of hard work, always wet, always cold. They helped to drain away the water and patch up the ruined buildings. It was thankless work for the townspeople were an unsmiling lot.

On their final day of work the sun shone at last, drying the mud on their clothes into hard clods. The squads that had been sent off to help villages further upstream returned at intervals throughout the day. It was about lunchtime when Dom led his squad into the congregation. Kel's heart soared at the sight of him. With everyone out in the open like this there was little that she could do or say that wouldn't draw unwanted attention. Kel went over and greeted the whole squad, drawing a laugh from them all when she noted aloud that their commander's hair, usually so floppy was sticking out at all angles, styled by mud.

Raoul, as equally weary and dishevelled as the rest of his men, called over the squad leaders.

'I know we've orders to return to the progress with all due haste-' Flyn looked as though he were about to interrupt but Raoul waved a hand to stop him, 'After the work we've done here the very least the men deserve is a warm bath, a roof over their heads and a drink.'

The commanders all looked at him questioningly.

'We're not so far from Goldenlake...'

* * *

The air was rent with screams and Alex could hear the sound of heavy fighting outside. Sweat was freezing on his bloody forehead and his eyes were wild and desperate.

'You've got to do something.'

'I'm sorry young man,' the harassed healer shouted. 'I've no gift left, nothing to give your friend.'

'No, no there must be something that can stop the bleeding.'

She cast a hardened eye over the man twitching with pain who was falling into a sleep that he was unlikely to wake up from.

'If you remove the rest of the limb and cauterise the ends then he _might_ have a chance, but I'm sorry there's nothing more I can do.' She bustled away.

Alex's eyes watched her go with a rising horror in his heart. He didn't think that he could do what she had suggested. Even as he observed the woman he saw her use a small dagger to end the suffering of a man whom she didn't think she could save, and Alex was reminded how everyone was being forced to do things that they wouldn't normally do; how good, kind people had been transformed, hardened.

_You're going to live to see the end of this_, he thought savagely, looking down at his long-time friend and second-in-command. Praying to all the gods he knew for strength he brought the sword up and severed what remained of the dangling forearm and wrist. What little blood the man had left began to leak sluggishly from the new injury. Knowing that he had little time, Alex grabbed one of the fire pokers from the hearth and thrust it into the flames. Waiting as long as he dared he steeled himself and pressed the hot metal to the stump. Flesh hissed and sizzled and the smell of burning made Alex retch, gagging for there was nothing in his stomach to expel.

A man burst into the room and Alex spun, a hand sticky with dried blood reaching automatically for his sword. He relaxed when he recognised a smoke blackened face. The newcomer drew patterns in the air that shimmered before disappearing, shielding their conversation from all ears.

'It is done, all three mines are unusable.'

'Casualties?' rasped Alex.

The mage bowed his head and Alex saluted the fallen quietly.

'Maggur's retribution will be swift. I fear Gelfunt will bear the brunt of his anger.'

'We need to disappear, quickly. When the fighting dies down take as many injured as can be moved safely and spread far and wide. Just as planned.'

As calm descended across the damaged village Alex's orders were relayed throughout the band of renegades. Men and women scattered, riding off into the night, radiating from the safe houses.

Alex's wounded comrade was strapped to his horse and together with the mage and the other ringleaders they slipped into the night, heading westwards. In the distance a fire could be seen burning. The evidence of the great task that they had achieved. It had been months in the making, but tonight was the critical moment for their strike at Maggur. Innocent men had been killed and Alex wasn't proud of that, but Maggur had lost the three mines which supplied his army with the iron to make steel armour and weapons. It would delay the growth of his army significantly, buy Tortall some more time.

* * *

**-a/n-** Wow! I finally got this chapter up! I've been writing half-pages of it for the last week :D

Please review -it'll be lovely to know that people still care for Fallen.

**Confusedknigh**t xxx

PS. Can I suggest putting this story on 'alert' -updates are likely to be sporadic...


	65. The long wait

**-a/n- **-sheepishly- So, well, there is this thing, it's called university, and it takes over your life.

You spend the mornings in laboratories and dissection rooms, the afternoons having horrific amounts of science thrown at you and then most of the evening scribbling out poor imitations of essays. You then go out partying, get very little sleep and do it all again the next day and the next etc. You spend all weekend playing hockey and any other spare time doing fitness training for the aforementioned sport. You develop strange eating habits, have near-death experiences on your bike and generally have a fantastic time. At least this has been my experience so far.

The last few months were a complete write-off due to exams I'm afraid. Most of this chapter has actually been written since April, but if you've read the note on my profile then you'll have seen that I stupidly left my beloved copy of Squire at home and therefore couldn't finish off the final few details.

Thanks to all who've messaged/left a review. I love you dearly. I also love this story and I hope to get some more chapters up for you soon ;D

**Confusedknight** xxx

* * *

Despite the bitterly cold wind Kel was sitting up straight in her saddle, gazing around at her Knight-master's lands with interest. The ground varied between the green of vegetation hard enough to survive the winter and large expanses of mud where rainwater pooled on top of the saturated earth. The sky was grey and the day, though still young was dim.

As they topped a gentle ridge Kel could see down the rolling valley to Goldenlake itself, a choppy expanse of grey that stretched long and wide ahead of them. There was a sturdy stone castle built halfway up one of the more gently inclining hills with three proud towers and a flint-studded outer wall.

‛The sun rises directly between those two hills,' Raoul pointed to the eastern end of the lake. ‛And the whole lake turns gold. It's not much to look at in weather like this I'm afraid.'

‛Well hopefully this will blow over soon,' replied Kel, gesturing to the squall, cloud and wind. She was getting thoroughly fed up of miserable weather and the inconveniences it posed. She wanted to go for runs and practise her sword fighting under a warm sun, dressed in only a shirt, rather than all of the bulk she currently wore.

Ahead of them an envoy from the castle could be seen riding towards them and Kel drew herself from her musings and focused on the five men making their way forwards.

‛The one in the lead is my brother-in-law,' Raoul informed Kel, ‛and to his left is Charley who does most of the day to day running of the estates. I think the others are manservants.' Raoul squinted through the gloomy day, ‛Mithros! Even old Jock has ridden out to meet us. He used to be weapons-master here, taught me how to use a sword that man did.'

Kel's mind flickered to the man who had truly taught her her how to handle a blade and felt a familiar stab of anxiety. But no, she must not think of that now.

Raoul signalled the company to a smart halt and dismounted easily, his weight pushing his boots several inches into the mud. The welcome party dismounted also, a short distance away and made out to greet Raoul. Kel clambered down too, although the rest of the own remained in the saddle. She took hold of both Prince and Drum's reigns although neither horse showed any sign of going anywhere. The greeting ahead of them was done with deep booming voices and much slapping of backs and shaking of hands.

Raoul turned and beckoned her forward. Still holding the reigns of both horses Kel squelched with difficulty over to the six men.

‛My squire, Keladry of Mindelan,' introduced Raoul.

Kel bowed politely and Raoul rested one ham-sized fist upon her shoulder as he finished talking to the men.

‛We've cleared the grand hall of tables so your men can set up their bedrolls inside,' explained a whiskery-faced man. ‛There are also hostlers on hand to care for the horses and the bathhouses are ready for a lot of tired cold men. We've also opened up ten bedrooms for your officers. We weren't sure where you wanted your squire put...'

'Is there not an antechamber for a squire off of my room?' asked Raoul in surprise, trying to remember the home that he obviously didn't visit very often.

'Well there is, yes, but she's-'

'Kel can sleep there then.' Replied Raoul, closing the matter.

It took less than fifteen minutes for the officers at least, (and Kel appeared to be included in this party) to be relieved of their horses. Kel watched from the corner of her eyes as Dom pushed his sodden hair from his handsome face and began to call out instructions for the collection of their dry possessions from the supply wagons.

Raoul cleared his throat and Kel's attention swung back to her knight-master, who was beckoning to her, smirking ever so slightly. Kel fought a blush as she obeyed, knowing that Raoul knew exactly what had distracted her.

Knight-master and squire entered the main castle for a more private greeting. Raoul's mother, a tall, lean woman with iron-grey hair descended upon her mud-covered son, taking his head in both hands and pulling him down so that she could kiss him soundly on the forehead.

She then held him at arms length, examining her giant of a son with beady, coal-black eyes in a way that only mothers will.

'It's been too long Raoul,' she scolded. 'You must make more of an effort to come and visit your old mother.'

Raoul didn't reply but instead kissed her on the top of her grey head. As he went to greet the others gathered in the hall, presumably his sister and her children, his nephews and nieces, it left the formidable Lady of Goldenlake scrutinising Kel.

'So, you must be Keladry of Mindelan.'

Kel bowed deeply and smoothly. 'It is an honour to meet my Lord's mother, my Lady.'

'Scrawny thing, isn't she?' remarked the lady to Raoul as though Kel were not even present.

Raoul looked up from his crowd of eager nephews, smiling, 'Scrawny or not, I wouldn't be stupid enough to challenge Kel to a fight.'

* * *

_Kel was tramping through slush, gazing around with enquiring eyes. She didn't recognise this place; the terrain and landscape were unfamiliar. As she cleared the next ridge a terrible scene lay before her, bodies strewn like abandoned dolls on a nursery floor. Her dream-legs carried her forwards although her body was tossing and trying to leave this nightmarish scene. She could now see their faces, their wide expressionless eyes and slack mouths. Nameless villagers slaughtered and left to rot. Turning slowly she could see Alex, walking slowly into the distance. Kel tried to run and follow but her legs wouldn't cooperate, the hands of the dead were wrapping around her ankles, trapping her there, pulling her down..._ Kel wrenched herself from the dream, breathing hard.

Opening her eyes, she started and sat bolt upright, hands reaching for the weapons she'd positioned within arms reach.

'Hey it's only me' whispered Raoul in alarm, pulling back the light curtain that separated Kel's antechamber from the rest of the chambers.

Kel pushed the hair out of her eyes shakily, feeling the damp sweat on her forehead.

'You were muttering,' said Raoul, explaining why he was half way across the room and not tucked up in his own bed.

Exhaling, Kel shuffled backwards until her head rested against the cool stone wall. Images still swam in front of her eyes, magnified in the unshed tears pooling there.

Raoul sat down on the end of Kel's low bed, careful not to sit on her legs. Kel drew her legs to her chest, partly to create more room for her knight-master but really craving the security of having something to hold on to.

They shared the silence for a few minutes, Raoul squinting at his small squire who was determinedly looking anywhere but his face.

Now that Kel's heart rate was slowing once more, her surroundings certain, she began to feel the beginnings of shame creeping up on her. Raoul, although one of the kindest people she'd ever met, was also one of the realm's most respected knights and her commanding officer. She didn't want him to see her like this, scared and vulnerable, exposed by her darkest memories. He couldn't understand what she'd been through in Scanra. He couldn't hold her until the shaking subsided. He wasn't Alex.

'I'm sorry for waking you Sir,' Kel muttered.

Raoul looked away rather than replying, staring out in to his gloomy chambers, lit only by glowing embers that resided in the grate.

'We all have them Kel.' He said unexpectedly. Pausing for a second he blundered on, 'Men are notoriously bad for talking about things that frighten us, things that haunt us. We're expected to be invincible warriors, taking life day after day. We're courageous on the battle field and yet at the same time not brave enough to admit, when asked, that really we're not fine. You're not the first comrade who's woken me. And,' he swallowed, 'I daresay that I've woken my fair share of people too.'

'I want to forget them, forget their faces,' Kel croaked, 'sometimes I want to forget it all. But then I wonder if it's not the gods way of reminding us of what must be done.'

'Whose faces?' asked Raoul quietly.

'I don't even know,' Kel whispered, a lone tear streaking down her cheek. 'Just a village we found. Dead and rotting. Blood in the snow, blood everywhere...Killed as an example of what happens when just one person opposes Maggur. Children, women he didn't care, they were all slain and just left there.' By now Kel's voice was slightly hysterical. 'And we gathered up their bodies. Just the two of us to clear up the thirty seven bodies. The pile was so tall...' She brushed angrily at her eyes.

Raoul was shaking his head sadly and made almost to reach out and grasp her knee, but then withdrew his hand as though he thought better of it. After several more minutes of silence in which Kel struggled to keep her breathing steady, he finally said.

'I was eighteen before I fought in my first war, Kel. A fully trained knight. And even then I didn't sleep easily for months. You've seen things that would give even the oldest veteran fighters nightmares.'

'It's this waiting,' admitted Kel quietly, voicing some of the frustration and confusion that she'd been feeling for the past few months. 'I feel that I should be doing something more. That we as a country should be doing more.'

'The war is coming Kel, and whatever some fools may say, the important people know it. We do things quietly, so quietly that only a handful of people realise what's happening so that there is no possibility that any spies could report anything back to Maggur.' He scratched his chin absentmindedly.

'For the last five years, the requisitions for supplies such as arrows and armour have been eight percent more than we strictly need, the excess being quietly stockpiled. The university and other healing centres have increased their accepted intake by nearly thirty percent recently, making sure we have no shortage of healers. The commanders, Buri, General Vanget and myself have been slowly drilling our men in formations useful to battle as well as pushing the realm's fighting forces into shape. The old fort of Northwatch is being renovated slowly by a handful of craftsmen as well as architects planning and surveying for several other strategic sites where forts can be created. Horse breeders are being encouraged to produce war horses to sell to the crown, who are again training them quietly ready for the casualties war will bring.' He sighed, 'It's not much yet Kel, but it's a start. We won't be caught unawares. And I can almost guarantee you that this time next year we'll be fighting the enemy directly.

Kel nodded quietly and Raoul stood up. Squeezing her shoulder briefly, he hunkered back to bed and pulled his quilts up around himself. Kel settled down but found that she was not remotely sleepy anymore. Her brain was busy processing what she'd just learnt. She was also aware that her knight-master was not sleeping either. For though his breathing was deep and even, it was a little too regular, none of the semi-snorts and snuffles that usually accompanied the large man's slumber.

* * *

They tallied in Goldenlake for no longer than two days before setting out to join the Progress. The journey had been going well until several men in Qasim's squad were struck down with a sickness that began with vomiting and progressed into a fever that required a healer's attention. Despite near-isolation of those infected, the disease spread through the Own like wildfire until the healer's were overwhelmed and Raoul called a halt to their journey. A day later he himself, looking extremely pale and shivery, was near forced into bed by Kel.

Healers from nearby villages were sent for to help speed the recovery of nearly forty men since the Own's healers had long since been drained of their Gift. To many people's surprise, Kel was one of the few who hadn't been affected. Privately Kel had a sneaking suspicion that it was the same virus that had hit the slave plantation three and a half years ago, rendering her immune. The symptoms certainly looked similar. Except unlike the starved, exhausted slaves, these fit and healthy men of the King's Own had each received treatment from healers and no one had yet reached a stage of hallucination.

Kel found herself not only fetching things and running messages for Raoul, but also in charge of cooking for several squads all "recovering" from the sickness. Fed up of the standard rations being cooked the same way night after night; potatoes and stew, Kel jogged down to a nearby village and bartered for some cream, herbs and spices.

She then set about making a simple meal, learned during her spell in Marthea's kitchen. Kel boiled the potatoes until the point that they began to disintegrate, drained the water from the massive cooking pot with difficulty, and set about mashing the potato with cream and spice. Kel had also taken several rabbits that a couple of other healthy men had caught with the aid of the Own's hunting falcons, and stripped the meat clean off the bone. She then fried the chunks of meat with herbs including rosemary. Dishing up no less than twenty-one plates Kel hurried to serve the food before it got cold. Kel was well praised for her efforts and was warned that she might be forced to cook for them all more often.

A day and a half later the Own was on it's feet again and set off at a fearsome pace to make up for lost time. Prince seemed to enjoy the chance to stretch out his neck and loped easily alongside Raoul's enormous warhorse, Drum.

* * *

It was a nice feeling, Kel decided when they rode up between the rows and rows of knights and other warriors who'd spent the last few weeks doing no more than enjoying the festivities, knowing that at least she hadn't been cooped up with the Progress the whole time. She saw respect in the eyes of many, and despite their dust-covered, inglorious appearance, they were greeted with applause nonetheless.

Despite the ongoing tourney's of the Progress, Kel fought only with her friends, knight-master and men of the Own, preferring to train in an environment without having insults flung at her between every stroke.

Indeed Kel had not even been paying attention to the current victors, and when Merric and the others started to talk in awed tones about Hans Quickfeet, Kel had no idea to whom they were referring.

'The one who's been beating nearly every Knight fool enough to challenge him,' said Owen impressively.

You should fight him,' puffed Seaver, continuing his efforts to find a gap in Kel's defence.

Kel blinked twice at the mention of 'Hans'; Alex had once assumed that name whilst undercover in Sekholm. 'What does he look like?' she asked casually.

'Blonde and muscly, like he's got some Scanran blood in him. Plainly dressed, only a commoner but, like his name suggests you've never seen quicker footwork anywhere.'

Kel's heart began to beat rather fast. Her brain was telling her that it couldn't possibly be him; what business would Alex have drawing attention to himself in Tortall? And yet her heart knew that she wouldn't quite believe it until she'd confirmed with her own eyes that it was not in fact Alex undercover.

Tingling with excitement, Kel made excuses to break up the practice session at the earliest opportunity and hurried to the lists. There it was over and over, Hans Quickfeet. She scanned the results, victory, victory, victory, it went on and on.

According to the curled writing, Hans Quickfeet would be fighting a knight of Mandash that very afternoon and Kel decided to go along and watch. And watch she did. When Kel first saw the man it became plain that it was not Alex, and disappointment welled inside her. This man was far too broad, and indeed slightly older than Alex. He was however, unmistakeably Scanran. And not only of Scanran lineage, but someone who had grown up and learnt the skills of the sword in Scanra.

His footwork was impeccable, but even so she reckoned that Alex could best him. But, like Alex, this man had obviously grown up with the sword almost permanently in his hand and that led Kel to believe that he must've been someone high up in the clan, if not on heritage, but skill alone. The question was, which clan and what was he doing in Tortall? Fleeing from Maggur? Or trying to judge the strength of the Tortallan arms?

That evening, Kel was mending a pair of breeches with a hole when Raoul stumped in, not looking happy.

'Sir?' Kel asked tentatively as Raoul slammed a pile of paperwork down on his desk. 'What did the King want?'

'Apart from me to complete this wretched pile of paperwork,' Raoul replied scowling, 'He's entered you to fight against that Hans fellow tomorrow.'

'What?' asked Kel before she could help herself. 'But why?'

'It doesn't make the realm's warriors look good when defeated by a northern commoner,' said Raoul, flinging himself into a chair that creaked dangerously under his weight.

'Why me?' asked Kel, stunned that the king had picked her.

'Because you're bloody good that's why, _and_ if you do lose people will say it's because you're just a squire.'

This made sense to Kel; the King wouldn't want to risk someone of a higher profile, like Raoul to defeat at the hands of the unknown.

'Well...uh...what time am I fighting?'

Raoul's head snapped up, 'You're alright with this? He didn't even ask you first, he didn't even have the decency to ask me!'

Shrugging Kel replied, 'I'm meant to be a soldier, I fight when I'm told.'

'Whilst that is true on a battlefield it is normally polite to discuss something like this beforehand.' Raoul grouched.

* * *

Kel bowed and watched her opponent do likewise. She was pleased to see no confident, arrogant smile on his face; here was an enemy that didn't judge opponents before he saw them fight. Checking one last time that her hair was secure behind it's fabric band, that her wristguards were tight and that Courage was comfortably positioned in her hand, she took up her stance, ignoring the effects of the adrenaline coursing through her system.

When the signal was given the man advanced and brought a crushing blow down, which Kel skipped nimbly out of the way of. She flashed her own sword in to his left. Unsurprisingly Hans parried it and the two swords met for the first time. Kel put up resistance for a second to give him a brief idea of her strength and then whipped her sword away and around.

They exchanged a few more blows before Kel decided that it was really time to put 'Quickfeet' through his paces. Could he have kept up with Alex? She began to speed up the exercise, making her movements more dynamic and explosive but still keeping the sword flowing smoothly, a mark of someone who knows what they're doing with a blade.

Initially the man appeared a little off-balance at the change in speed but then he rose to the challenge and the fight flew along at an astounding pace.

If Kel hadn't been so focussed on the task in hand then she would've seen the crowd size swell, doubling, tripling. Word had spread of the fight between Hans Quickfeet and Squire Keladry and it seemed as though the spectators had abandoned the tilting and archery competitions in favour of the duel that was taking place.

Although not quite as tidy as Alex in regard to his fighting, the man was very strong and took every opportunity to press down behind his blade, tiring Kel's arms a little more each time. Kel had tried out a few more complex moves, which didn't faze the man and so she decided that she was going to have to be more sneaky about it. Gradually, very gradually she began to ease off on certain moves, not quite finishing them to the extent she normally would; the sign of a tired opponent. It was subtle, very subtle, but she hoped that a swordsman of Hans' calibre would soon spot this and try to take advantage of it.

Three minutes or so later it happened, Hans feinting and then driving back deep into the tiny gap that Kel had been leaving open. Lightening fast Kel drove her sword, up and around to wrench his away. Off-balance, Kel attacked in one last frenzied push, not letting Hans any opportunity to do anything more than hastily ward off the blows raining down on him.

A swing and a twist of Courage later and with the man's sword flung to the side Kel had him at the tip of her sword.

Kel was not aware of the roar of the crowd behind her, only the thumping of her heart in her chest, her lungs reaching out for the air her body so desperately needed and Hans sweat-dotted face, his blue eyes now looking straight up the tempered steel blade of Courage, to where the Scanran words were so elegantly carved.

Kel pressed upwards ever so slightly with the flat or her blade onto his chin.

'I yield,' he said in a Tortallan accent that held only a slight trace of his mother tongue.

Kel sheathed her sword before her arm started to shake. She needed to have a nice thorough cool-down and stretch, otherwise she'd be good for nothing tomorrow.

'Wait,' the man called, his accent slipping. 'That is, that blade, it is a weapon from the Kethlum forge.'

Kel nodded, knowing that it would be pointless to deny it. 'One of the last ever made,' she replied shortly.

'The Kethlum family does not export it's weapons, they are made exclusively at request from clan chiefs,' Hans said urgently dropping back into Scanran.

Kel started and glanced around to where the thronging mass of people all around the court were making a tumult of noise as they discussed the match and gradually started to fight their way out.

'Then I might also ask where you got yours?' Kel replied quietly, gesturing to the sword lying at the side of the court. Although she'd answered in Common Hans would know that she'd understood the Scanran perfectly.

'I was presented it as a reward for services to the clan of Tinei.'

'And I in return for services to the son of a Clan,' replied Kel, not divulging any further. 'What are you doing in Tortall?'

Hans looked at her without mirth. 'Scanra is not a safe place anymore. Tinei is not safe.'

'So you ran away?' asked Kel, struggling to keep the incredulity out of her voice. Alex needed fighters like Hans to stay and oppose Maggur.

'I have a family,' Hans replied simply. 'I do not care for the country I leave behind. With my winnings we will settle in the south. My children will grow up in safety.'

He looked nervously over Kel's shoulder. Kel turned to follow his gaze and saw Raoul walking towards her.

'Everything alright?' he asked, his tone mild, but eyes alert.

'Fine,' said Kel off-handedly, 'we were just discussing swords,' she said truthfully.

'Well you'd better do some stretching before your muscles seize up,' Raoul cautioned. 'Come on Squire.'

Kel bowed briefly to Hans, before turning and leaving with her knight-master.

They discussed the fight briefly as she was stretching and then Raoul left her, telling her to have a nap since the evening was likely to be a long and arduous affair.

Following the advice, Kel lay down still fully clothed and quickly drifted off, barely having time to think about Hans' situation.

When she woke it was because of a whispering that filled her tent. Simultaneously Kel sat up, opened her eyes, and reached for her sword.

'Aah,' there was a squeal, and through her bleary eyes Kel saw three shapes leap backwards. Convinced that an attacker wouldn't squeal, or leap backwards, Kel lowered her sword and rubbed her eyes. Three young girls, three well-dressed young girls were all staring at her with a sort of horrified fascination.

The tallest of the lot curtsied, followed hurriedly by the other two.

'You _disarmed_ Hans Quickfeet,' breathed one of the younger two girls, pushing her silvery-blonde hair from her face. 'It was _beautiful_.' She beamed at Kel.

'Beautiful is Yvenne's word for the week,' the oldest-looking girl informed Kel.

'Mama says, if me and Fianola still really want to, in a year, she'll let us try.' Spoke the smallest girl who, judging by their identical masses of curly brown hair was sister to the eldest.

It took Kel's sleep-fuddled brain a few seconds to work out what she was referring to. When realisation struck Kel, she discovered that she hadn't a clue what to say. Were they expecting advice? She hadn't exactly lasted long into page training, although Goddess-willing that would change if any of these girls were to try.

Kel leaned forward, stretching out her hamstrings with a slight groan.

'How did you learn to fight so well?' pressed the younger sister, 'Had you learnt from when you were small?' Her face was worried, 'We haven't had any weapons training.'

Kel looked up at the three eager, expectant faces.

'No, I only learnt the use of a Yamani glaive before I arrived at the Palace,' she replied truthfully. 'The key to being a good fighter is simply practise, and dedication. It means getting up before others and working for harder and longer. It means not giving up when people bigger and stronger than you beat you again and again. It means ignoring insults and tricks from those who believe that women have no business fighting.'

Kel reached for a shirt to replace the sweat-encrusted one she was currently wearing.

'So is there anything that we can do before we get there?' asked the eldest girl.

Kel considered this as she exchanged her shirts. 'Run,' she said, not missing all three pairs of eyes widening at her scarred torso. 'Hunt, climb, ride, practise archery, work on building up your strength by lifting heavy things and your stamina by exercising for long periods of time. Don't let anyone tell you it'll be easy, and at the same time don't let anyone tell you that it's impossible.'

Kel clambered to her feet.

'Do you know what time it is?' she asked Fianola, who in all actuality was only about four years younger than Kel herself.

'The sixth bell rang just before you woke,' replied the girl quickly. 'And we should probably be getting back, Yvenne, Victoire.'

All three girls curtsied beautifully and then turned and hurried away.

'Gods all bless,' whispered Kel, hoping dearly that at least one of the girls would have the courage and determination to try for their shield.

* * *

The progress rolled slowly onwards and it just so happened that Kel was able to spend her seventeenth birthday in Mindelan, her home fief that she hadn't visited since she'd first left for the Palace, all those years ago.

Kel barely recognised all of her nieces and nephews, and they certainly didn't recognise her. In fact, they were much more friendly around Cleon, one of Kel's old page friends who had stayed at Mindelan several times during his service as squire to Inness.

Anders, who ran the fief in his retirement from active service was pleased to see his once-lost sister. He watched from the sidelines as Kel practise-duelled men of the Own with a strange look on his face, he didn't recognise the woman fighting, his sister, any more than his children did.

Moving on from Mindelan, Kel wondered whether it would be another seven years before she saw her childhood home again. Kel felt it strange that she bore the title of a place that she visited so infrequently.

As the leaves turned from fading green into magnificent hues of red and gold, the Progress came upon a wide lake, it's surface glassy smooth. Massive floating pavilions, draped in white and gold cloth bobbed as people hurried around trying to complete last minute preparations. Kel was impressed despite the extravagant use of money.

Raoul chuckled, 'I've noticed that Alanna's ridden on ahead.'

'Why's that?' Kel asked absentmindedly, watching someone arranging vases of Yamani lilies as tall as an average person.

'Just seeing their gentle bobbing makes her feel sea sick.'

'You're not serious?'

'I am,' replied Raoul, 'I travelled with her once and she was green the entire way home.'

They were now so close to the coast that Kel could practically smell the saltwater on the air. Part of her longed to gallop Prince up the gently rounding hill and down the other side until they were on the long sandy beaches, but that could only be a wild fantasy; she had far too many jobs to do.

A great envoy of Yamani nobles was meant to be arriving any hour, having sailed across the Emerald ocean. It was their last tribute to a Princess who would soon become property of Tortall.

Kel knew that both her parents were in the thick of things, organising, directing, trying to host a Yamani party of suitable merit for their noble guests.

'It's going to be a long few days,' Raoul sighed gloomily. 'Jon's going to want me to meet every Yamani that comes off that ship, mark my words.'

'Well as long as you can slip away before the poetry Sir, you'll be alright.'

'Poetry?' Raoul gaped at his squire, horror-struck. 'Just exactly what kind of parties do our friends from the Isles host?'

'Well it all starts quite normal at first,' Kel explained, 'Making acquaintances, you know the like. Then follows a seated, traditionally seven-course meal, although if they're really making an occasion of it then it might be nine courses. And of course by this time everyone has consumed large volumes of rice wine,' she stated matter-of-factly. 'Yamani's are not rowdy drunks. They prefer to recite poetry and gaze up at the stars, philosophising on the exact...'

By this time Raoul was looking quite ill.

'Oh you'll have a wonderful time sir,' Kel informed him just a little too sincerely.

Raoul sent his squire a sideways look. 'Oh, but then I couldn't let you miss out on all the fun,' he said a smile forming on his face. 'No, definitely not. Besides I'll need someone to guide be through all the social niceties of our cultured friends, the great barbarian that I am. Yes, I think I'll inform the master of ceremonies that I am unable to cope without my squire for the evening.'

'Oh Sir,' said Kel, suddenly punished for her quiet smugness. 'It really won't be that...'

But Raoul had made up his mind.

'My lord, you are a bad man.' Kel muttered, drawing a chuckle from Raoul.

As soon as Ilane saw her daughter's name on the guest list of the party, she approached Raoul herself and requested that Kel could wear a kimono for the occasion. Grinning Raoul agreed graciously.

When Raoul relayed this information innocently to his squire, she muttered something very uncomplimentary in Yamani and stalked off to find her mother.

'What did that mean?' Raoul called after her.

'I wouldn't repeat it at the dinner table tonight,' Kel warned, calling over her shoulder.

Lady Ilane could not be persuaded and that evening saw Kel in full Yamani-garb; a pale green kimono embroidered with elegant tendrils of leaves, satin slippers, coiled up hair and light brushings of facepaint, and no sword, to her utmost displeasure.

She had given Raoul a quick lesson in Yamani etiquette and was now watching her knight-master trying to greet his acquaintances in very poorly-accented Yamani.

They accepted the words tolerantly, although never showing any emotion it was hard to tell. Kel was greeted warmly, either by people who had known her as a child and remarking how she'd grown up into a lovely young women. (At this Kel had wanted to snort, if it wouldn't have been the height of rudeness.) Or else it was simply as the daughter of the very honoured Lady Ilane.

Eventually the reception was over and everyone was ushered to their seats. The meal began by delicately cleaning hands and cutlery, first in lemon juice and then in lukewarm water. Raoul followed Kel's lead, one step behind.

They then struggled through the many courses, using different spoons, chop sticks and even fingers to help them consume the delicacies placed before them.

Kel looked around at the stony-faced tables, all conversing in tones of mild-interest and felt a surprising pang of longing for the tables to be filled by laughing, joking men of the Own.

Standing up from dinner Kel bowed to the man opposite her, Raoul following only a beat behind.

'It was our good fortune to be seated with you,' Kel said formally.

'And ours also,' said one of the Yamani men, his dark almond-shaped eyes observing Kel and Raoul serenely.

Kel negotiated herself and her knight-master out the back and onto the floating pavilion to where they could rest for a few minutes without having to make painfully polite, forced conversation.

'I knew there was a reason that I took you on as my squire,' said Raoul, relieved at having survived dinner. Kel grinned and had opened her mouth to reply when she saw two riders galloping urgently around the far side of the lake, just visible in the gathering dusk.

From the way that Raoul straightened up, alert, Kel knew that he'd spotted them too. She followed her knight-master silently through the crowded tent. Raoul subtly alerted Lord Wyldon through a series of hand-signals and others, the King included, by whispers.

They gathered quietly in a tent, not wishing to cause panic. Kel was sent to greet the messengers and lead them to the tent. Although Kel wanted to stay and listen to what they had to say, it was her duty to care for their exhausted horses. She rubbed them down thoroughly, wincing slightly at the thought of her mother discovering that the beautiful green kimono was now flecked with foamy horse sweat, and gave each a large bucket of fresh lake water and generous helpings of oats and hay. With a final pat she scurried back to the tent. When she entered faces were serious and the tone of the conversation grave.

It didn't take long for Kel to cotton on; Scanrans had crossed the border in three places and General Vanget, in charge of the northern defences from the Northwatch fortress, was sending for aid.

Kel's heart thudded, feeling that at last, she was going to be sent back into the action. She was drawn back into the conversation by an exclamation of 'No,' from Raoul.

'Yes,' replied the King firmly, 'the First Company have been at court far too long.'

'Glaisdan is only fit to command the royal dance troupe,' exploded Raoul. 'Third Company would be of much more use, I'd be of much more use rather than trailing round after you two like an obedient pet.'

Kel winced, feeling that the King wasn't going to take kindly to this.

'You will stay with the Progress until I say otherwise,' said Jonathan, his voice deadly calm. 'The First Company and half of all our other fighters, Knights and regular soldiers alike, and about three rider groups will ride for Northwatch. A lesser number of fighters will ride for the coasts to help discourage scanran wolf-ships from attacking. And you will remain with us.'

'Fine,' growled Raoul standing up so abruptly that both the messengers jumped backwards. 'As you wish, _your Majesty_,' his voice was dripping with anger and sarcasm. Kel leapt up also, bowed hurriedly and followed her knight-master's leave.

Raoul was striding off into the night so fast that Kel had to hoist up her kimono and break into a jog to keep up with him. Neither of them spoke; only Raoul's heavy breathing and the rhythmic chirping of crickets broke the heavy night's silence.

They made their way around the side of the lake, the flickering candles from the floating pavilion growing smaller and smaller until they rounded the corner and couldn't see them any longer. The moon was bright and reflected brilliantly off of the lake.

'How can he be so _stupid_?' Raoul began to mutter, 'He's just being pig-headed, I know he is.'

Kel kicked a stone in her path angrily into the lake. The splash made Raoul look up and catch sight of his squire's stormy face.

'You're angry too,' he said in surprise, looking at his normally good-natured squire.

'It's more waiting,' exclaimed Kel angrily. 'It's all we ever seem to do, wait, wait, wait, and I can't stand it. It's like the quiet before a battle except that rather than days we've been waiting for years.'

Raoul sat down suddenly, leaning against a tree. Kel also sat, but closer to the lake, lying back so that her face was upturned towards the moon, her kimono gently ruffling in the breeze. She wondered if, wherever he was, Alex could see the moon, if he still thought of her, if he knew that Maggur had finally crossed the border, if he knew what would happen next...

* * *

I hope that was worth the wait...

As always, please review ;D

**Confusedknight** xxx


	66. Transitions and Translations

So...here's another chapter! (A week's wait is better than six months, no? :P)

We've just got a PUPPY! He is mega cute, but quite a handful so I'm spending my days chasing round after him and preventing the mass destruction of our house and garden, and then writing when he falls asleep (usually on my feet!)

If you're one of those lovely, wonderful five percent of readers who bother to leave a review, then THANK YOU! It means so much, even if it's just a simple note to say you're enjoying Fallen. Whenever I feel to lazy to write I just flick back over your messages and then get typing!

Hope you're enjoying summer!

**Confusedknight** xx

* * *

The progress continued on as the summer days lengthened and then shortened again, with Kel's only word of what was happening in the north being the occasional reports that Raoul allowed her to read.

Kel had begun to joust in the tournaments and this provided her with ample distraction. Raoul took to coaching her every day and Kel threw herself into this bizarre sport with gusto. Her ribs were permanently bruised, her back sore from where she was slammed over and over into a tilting saddle, her arms achy from the impact, but it felt nice to charge down the tilting lane and empty her head of its swirling thoughts.

Autumn came in a rush as they returned to Corus and before Kel knew it, Midwinter was upon them again. The Palace was quiet, with many warriors up north and the rest of court overly fed up with parties. Neal, Merric, Owen and all of Kel's other friends that she'd travelled with on Progress had remained up at the border with their respective knights, leaving Kel with Lalasa, her parents, Raoul and Dom for company during the festive period.

She watched the fourth year squires enter the Chamber Ordeal and all emerge relatively unscathed. She watched as their shining faces accepted their shields and she clapped with everyone else, wondering if all new knights looked so young. They would be sent north as soon as the snows melted, north to experience the horrific reality of Maggur's warfare.

She shuddered, the war was coming too fast.

When the snow had melted down to a level where calf-high boots could protect you from the wet, Raoul sent Kel out on a variety of tasks, all involving Third Company's supplies. By the third day Kel saw through Raoul's sudden desire to teach her about the logistics of the Own.

'So when are we leaving?' Kel asked that evening.

Raoul blinked.

'This,' Kel flapped the papers that she was holding, 'We're preparing for a _long_ trip up north, aren't we?'

Raoul let out a bark of laughter. 'Well Flyn owes me a gold crown. He said it would take you a month to figure out.'

There was a moments silence.

'It's not going to be easy,' Raoul sighed. 'Second company are already down twenty-three men and need to return here to recruit. We need to travel north, erect a fort and then try to defend many miles of border from that fort.' He looked seriously at Kel, 'And you probably know better than anyone what we're up against.'

Kel nodded.

'Last I heard Maggur had eight clans under his banner.'

'Nine,' corrected a voice from the open doorway. Kel twisted her neck round to see who the speaker was. It was Sir Myles of Olau, one of Kel's old teachers and the king's official spymaster. Next to him stood the king himself and Flyndan. 'May we join?'

Kel leapt up and set about fetching chairs and brewing tea. She hoped to overhear some news, any news of Scanra.

'The news from the north isn't good.' Said Myles gravely, 'Keladry, please join us.' Kel obeyed, her heart beating slightly faster than normal. She perched on a stool, upright, alert.

'Maggur's been a busy boy. According to Daine's sources he's spent all winter sorting out Tinei.' Kel's heart sank. The last clan that had been standing between Tortall and Maggur's domain. 'Seems to have rounded up as many able-bodied men as he could find and it hammered them into a giant army,' continued Myles.

'But if these are untrained peasants, Sir, then surely our companies will make short work of anyone sent at us.'

'If only that were true,' sighed Myles, sipping at his tea. 'I fear that this war is going to be unlike any we've experienced before. We'll be outnumbered ten-to-one at the very best, and there is a huge expanse of border to protect.'

'How's he managed this?' Growled Raoul. 'There've only ever been alliances of three clans before, and even then it didn't last very long.'

Kel fought not to fidget with impatience as Myles recounted an inaccurate version of how Maggur had first taken over Rathhausak and had then tricked, black-mailed, kidnapped and fought his way into control of all the fighting clans.

'Once he had an army there wasn't much that could be done.'

'They could've fought him,' pointed out the King. 'If an army banded together in Tortall everyone would've fought to protect their own fiefs.'

'Some did fight back,' Myles answered soberly. 'A clan,' he pointed on one of Raoul's maps, 'In the middle there, Somalkt, tried to defend itself. My agents report over two thousand dead, and the battle lasted for only a day and a half.' There was a sharp intake of breath from Raoul and Flyndan. Kel closed her eyes slowly and opened them again. These men were discussing it in terms of the implications for Tortall, Kel had been there, seen the sea of bodies, witnessed the brutal assault on the city.

Flyndan was asking Myles something about his agents. Kel wasn't paying attention.

'Do you know how long it takes to place an agent in a clan house?' Myles was asking incredulously.

_Not that long_, thought Kel. And suddenly, unexplainably she had a mad urge to giggle at the absurdity of the situation she was in. Kel schooled her face into a measured expression of mild interest and was pulled back to the conversation by the mention of her name.

'-Kel did the work then I wouldn't notice you're stockpiling for a prolonged jaunt?'

'It's an exercise in logistics and supply,' Kel replied promptly, her face innocent and eyes wide and surprised. 'He makes me study such things.'

Myles chuckled, shaking his shaggy head. 'Very good. If you ever want work as an agent, I hope you'll come to me.'

Kel caught Raoul's eye and they both had to look away before one of them laughed. Kel wondered just how much this jovial old knight new. Did George share every detail with his second-in-command, or was he holding some details back? Did Myles of Olau know about Alexei of Rathhausak?

Raoul was arguing with the King; the same old conflict; Raoul wanted to be doing proper work rather than attending court and attending to the king's wishes.

'If you want a dancing-master, get Glaisdan and the First down here!' Kel could almost feel the change in the King and Myles, as the elder man replied;

'Glaisdan of Haryse is dead.'

Kel listened in horror to how Glaisdan, commander of the First company had led nineteen other men to death at the hands of a "war party". Kel wondered just what Glaisdan had stumbled on. In her experience Scanrans didn't have "war parties". They held tournaments just as Tortallans did. They also held festivals, but Kel couldn't see why they'd hold a tournament or festival so near to the border. More likely they'd wandered in to a camp and were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of warriors.

Flyndan made the sign against evil on his chest. Kel didn't. No hand gesture was going to help them fight evil, fight Maggur.

The King was apologising to Raoul. It was a costly mistake; Kel herself had been there when Raoul had told the King that Glaisdan wasn't fit to command up north.

'You'll go north with the first thaw, along with five Rider Groups. Try not to get killed.' He looked at Kel, Flyndan and Raoul. 'I need all of you.'

'And I need every prisoner you can take,' Myles said, getting slowly to his feet. 'It's becoming near impossible to smuggle scraps of information across the border. Without more definite information we're fighting blind against an enemy who's already proved that he can do what we previously assumed was impossible.'

* * *

They struck a fast pace as they journeyed north, over two hundred horses tramping over the frosty land, breath furling like steamy clouds before them.

Raoul chose to not always ride at the head of the column, but dropped back, talking to different men each day. Kel knew that it was important for the men to trust Raoul, if they didn't already, implicitly. They had to feel that they were being taken into the unknown by a man whose they both liked and had confidence in.

Rather than following Raoul around like a lost puppy, Kel too rode with different people. The company she enjoyed most were Dom and his squad, although she couldn't ride with them too much or people would talk. Kel wasn't sure how many people knew that she'd been in a relationship with Dom before becoming squire or how many they'd managed to fool with their "just friends" routine.

Over the winter in Corus it had been easy to sneak away, spend time with Dom in private, but now they were riding off to war opportunities to be anything other than friends were looking to be few and far between. Dom had told her that he could wait until the war was over. Kel hadn't said anything, if she was still alive when the war ended, she hadn't a clue whether she'd be in Tortall, in Scanra, whether Alex would be King, whether she'd be a knight... She'd simply kissed him in reply.

They arrived at Northwatch, an impressive structure housing the toughened army that had been defending the border for years. General Vanget, a grizzled man in his early fifties, came out to greet Raoul with obvious relief in his expression. Kel spent the day listening to talks and discussions, only leaving Vanget's study to fetch refreshments for the commanders.

After only one night safe behind Northwatch's giant walls, Raoul led the Company to a large meadow, bordered on two sides by thick woods.

'Here it is boys, and girl,' he added with an apologetic look at Kel. 'Our new home.'

The next two weeks were an anxious affair. Kel and the Own laboured intensively, chopping trees, erecting a barricade, digging trenches, building latrines, a mess hall and an infirmary. Although it was April, the ground was still soft and soon Kel, like the others had acquired a layer of mud and grime that was unable to be washed off until wash houses had been built. Wells were constructed to provide fresh water and once the outer perimeter of their fortress was entirely closed of by the wooden wall, supplies and reinforcements started to arrive; food, clerks, mages, healers, a blacksmith to mend broken armour and a couple of rider groups.

Kel welcomed the rider groups because the women helped her to erect a separate barracks, latrine and wash room for women only. The fort was taking shape and everyone relaxed as much as being so close to Scanra allowed.

Local guides gave them tours of the very large area they'd been sent to defend, and patrol duties were assigned. Kel would ride with every fourth patrol, whoever they may be.

April faded into May and still there was no sign of Maggur or the enemy. Gardens were planted inside the stockade and furniture was hewn roughly out of wood from the forest. An office was built for Raoul, the fort's commander, as well as a separate, small sleeping area. Animals were brought in and kept in pens. The horses were split into groups of twenty and lean-to shelters were constructed to shelter them from the elements.

As May wore on the bleak northern sun began to shine strongly and Kel came in from her days outside with cheeks and forearms pink with sunburn. During the days Kel practised swordplay with anyone she could find, and soon found herself being asked to demonstrate new moves to those interested.

Targets were erected for archery practice and small tournaments were held in the evenings. Men spent their free time lazing in the barracks, telling stories, playing cards and chess.

The waiting made Kel uneasy. She felt like Maggur's armies were always present, but hiding just beyond their reach. When they engaged the enemy it would be at a time of their choosing. Kel didn't like this at all, feeling that some of the men were being given a false sense of security.

Kel hadn't given her eighteenth birthday much thought, but when it arrived Raoul gave her a beautifully crafted long bow and a clutch of arrows with griffin feather fletchings.

A week to the day later, the enemy struck.

* * *

The mist was so thick that Kel couldn't even recognise Raoul until he was five paces away.

'Cursed mages,' he muttered, 'We can't see a thing.'

'And our mages, sir?'

'Doing everything they can think of to try and lift it. No luck so far.'

Kel grimaced. She felt like a sitting target. Suddenly the high log walls they'd constructed felt like no protection at all against the scanran forces at their doorstep.

'So what do we do now?'

'Wait,' he replied grimly.

A man materialised out of the fog to Kel's left and she drew her sword in the time it took to blink. Rather than a scanran soldier however, it was a thin, stringy looking man that Kel knew to be one of Third Company's mages.

'We still can't make it disappear,' he spoke hurriedly, words tumbling from his mouth. 'But we think we've found a way to blow it back.' He bit his lip. 'But it's strong, my Lord, I doubt we'll be able to clear more than thirty metres.'

'It's our best chance,' replied Raoul, 'Get ready to move the fog on my signal.'

The mage scurried away. Raoul looked more worried than Kel had ever seen him. 'Our only chance is if we can drew them out to where we can see them. If there's more than a Company...' he let the sentence trail away. Their newly built fort offered little protection when surrounded by an army and mages.

Kel tightened her wrist guard, not re-sheathing her sword.

'Ready when you are, my Lord,' she said calmly, not portraying outwards signs that her heart was already beating a frantic rhythm within her chest.

They climbed down from the watch tower to the assembled squads.

'Six squads with me.' Everyone swung into their saddles.

A horn was blown and seconds later Kel felt something whoosh over her head, like a strong, warm breeze. Grey cloud was retreating towards the tree line. No longer muffled my the magical fog, there was an almighty clattering and clanking as armoured scanrans started forward.

'Let's GO,' hollered Raoul in a voice that Kel envied.

The gates swung open and the defending force galloped out. Kel heard, rather than saw the whizz of a volley of arrows, heard a cry as someone in the mass behind her was struck. Before she had time to worry about who that might be they were on top of the scanrans.

Reacting instinctively, Kel felled soldier after soldier. Prince reared up and struck out with iron-clad hooves, landing fatal blows to those whom Kel's sword couldn't reach.

Suddenly, without warning Kel slipped sideways, she landed with an almighty crunch on top of one of the enemy, lucky that she hadn't been skewered on his sword. She rolled off of the man, sword still in her grip. On her knees now, Kel swung courage awkwardly round. An iron clad fist slammed into her nose and pain exploded in her face. Blindly Kel hacked and felt Courage connect first with plate armour and then with flesh.

Blinking the tears of pain from her eyes, Kel staggered up, already faced with another opponent. The blood pouring down her face made it difficult to catch breath.

Someone was calling for a retreat and for a moment Kel was unsure of her surroundings, looking round and half expecting to see the city of Somalkt perched ontop of a bluff behind her. Instead she saw several squads of royal blue cantering out from a wooden fort, covering their retreat. By some miracle, Prince wasn't far away, saddleless and riderless he danced skittishly, lashing out at any scanran who tried to take control of the magnificent gelding.

Kel broke into a run, ignoring pains from where she'd landed heavily, and dodging fallen soldiers managed to grab Prince. With a huge leap Kel threw herself sideways over Prince's back, scrambling to slide her leg over. She kicked him forward, grimly concentrating on staying upright, ignoring the light-headed feeling that had over taken her since standing up.

Back inside the fort she slid off of Prince until she was shakily standing on her own two feet. Kel examined the slash in Prince's side, the result of the cut through the girth of Kel's saddle. It didn't look life-threatening.

She tethered him along with a couple of other horses and with no time to saddle Hoshi, Kel prepared to return to the battlefield on foot. She tried to wipe her blood-slick hands on her tunic, only to find that the forest green outfit was already a mess.

'Kel, KEL,' said Raoul dismounting rapidly from Drum and hurrying over to her. 'Are you alright?'

'Mmph finebh' Kel had difficulty speaking through her nosebleed.

'Go find a healer,' Raoul instructed.

'No, mm finbh-'

'That's an order Kel.'

Kel tried to scowl but it made her eyes water, so she stalked off to the infirmary. Her nose was broken, but luckily the nose guard of her helmet had taken the worst of the blow, according to the weary healer, preventing shards of bone from piercing her brain. It took five minutes for the healer to reset the bone, although the healer said that Kel would have to come back later when it swelled up properly. The healer also gave Kel some towels and a bowl of water, telling her to mop herself up. Kel did so, rapidly and hurried back outside.

The noise had died and Kel knew that the battle was over. Raoul was busy giving orders to clean up the battlefield and didn't seem to need her, so Kel made her priority looking after Prince. Examining the torn horseflesh, Kel saw that fortunately it was a very shallow cut. She bathed the cut gently, muttering soothingly to the agitated horse.

Once Kel was satisfied that the cut was clean, she joined the clean-up parties without being asked. Helping to drag a horse that hadn't been as lucky as Prince over to the pile of dead scanrans, Kel suddenly heard a huge commotion.

'We got a live 'un,' yelled someone, hauling a dazed-looking scanran to his feet. The scanran struggled and tried to run, his legs not coordinated, he crashed to the ground again.

Two more men hurried over to help the first soldier to pull the scanran back to his feet.

'No, no! Please, let me go, please!' He called out in scanran, clearly terrified.

Kel continued to watch as the man was marched back inside the fort.

'Kel.' Qasim dragged her attention back to the present.

'Sorry,' she muttered, and helped to drag the horse the last few metres.

* * *

Later on, properly clean from blood and wearing a fresh change of clothes, Kel reported to Raoul's office. Two purple bruises had bloomed spectacularly around her hazel eyes and the swelling was making it difficult for her to see. Kel would visit the healers later; there were others with far more serious injuries than black eyes.

She found her knight-master pouring over maps and reports from the other forts in the area; Northwatch and another one being erected by the regular army, commanded by Lord Wyldon. Kel could see the strain in Raoul's forehead, wrinkled with a frown.

He looked up as she entered.

'What news from Northwatch?' Kel asked, sitting down on a low stool.

They chased off fifty well-armed raiders at the same time as we did. Raoul ran his hands distractedly over the stubble that was building up on his chin. 'Gods above I hate this Maggur. Time was scanrans didn't have enough organisation to set up double-pronged attacks.' He sighed. 'And there's fierce fighting nearer the coast, and at Fraslund.'

'What news from Daine?'

'None in the last few days. We're gods blessed to have Daine's abilities on our side, but like any mortal she can only be in one place at once and it takes her days to collect the information from her feathered-friends.' He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

'You should rest, Sir,' Kel advised.

'The enemy are still out there,' Raoul cast a glance over his maps again. 'We haven't run into nearly as many as were sighted crossing the Vassa, but the gods-only-knows where they're hiding.'

'What about the captives?' Kel asked, 'Have you got anything out of them?'

'One died,' he replied. 'The other has refused to answer any of our questions, although we don't have a proper translator here. Vanget is promising to send one along with more mages.' He shook his head disgustedly, 'we were near helpless before that fog was blown away.'

Kel thought through this information. It would be a couple of days before the reinforcements arrived from Northwatch. They needed to know _now_ exactly what the enemy had planned because they were exposed, sheltering behind their small wooden walls. Kel didn't even want to thing about what would happen if the army got their hands on any blazebalm.

Raoul looked up from his desk, hope in his eyes. 'You've spent time in Scanra,' he said slowly. 'You must know some scanran.'

Kel nodded, knowing what was coming next.

'Can you talk to him? He might refuse to say anything at all, but he's jabbering on about something and it might be relevant.'

Kel nodded again and stood up. 'Could we keep this quiet?' she asked. 'I'd rather not have to answer questions to everyone about how I can speak scanran.' Raoul nodded. 'I'll send the guard away.'

The summer's evening was warm and peaceful as they crossed to the building which was housing the scanran captive. Kel toyed with her sleeve nervously, as Raoul instructed the guard to leave them. Kel hoped that the guard would presume that Raoul wanted to talk to the prisoner.

When Marcus had left, Raoul turned to Kel. 'How do you want to do this?'

'It might be best if you waited out here,' replied Kel, thinking that the only hope she had of extracting information from the man would be to try and gain his trust. But how to do this without giving away too much?

Raoul looked slightly apprehensive at the thought of his squire facing the prisoner of war alone.

Kel unbolted the door and slipped inside. The man was still filthy from the battle and sat in in the corner, bleeding slightly from a cut on his cheek. He looked surprised to see a woman enter his makeshift cell.

They stared at each other for a moment, Kel searching for the right words to begin what could be a very important conversation.

'Are you hurt?' she began, faltering slightly at the scaran syllables that she hadn't used for so long.

The man blinked in surprise, though at the question or that it was posed in scanran Kel didn't know.

'Please,' he croaked, 'Please let me go. I don't know anything, I'm just a soldier. Please...'

Kel perched herself on a roughly hewn wooden bench by the door.

'What's your name?' she asked.

He looked at her suspiciously.

'I'm Kel.'

After half a minute's silence he replied, 'Novak.' And then he began again, 'And I'm not a sergeant or anything so you can just let me go...'

Kel listened hard. 'You're from Dundine?' He sounded a lot like Eron, Jacqui's husband.

He stared harder than ever. 'Tinei, but the west, so close to Dundine.'

Kel smiled, 'Ah, well I've never visited Tinei, but I've stayed at Dundine for a while. Are they similar?'

Nodding the man replied, 'Both farming areas.'

There was another pause. 'Your accent is hard to place. More northerly, yes?'

Shrugging, Kel replied, 'I've stayed all over.'

'Then you will know that we don't want to make war with Tortall. I am a _farmer_, I don't want to be fighting, but Maggur. You have no idea, he makes us fight, he threatens our families. Please just let me go,' he pleaded.

'I can't let you go,' she sighed. 'But no harm will come to you here. My lord is a good man, you'll be held as a captive until the war is over.'

The man began to cry pitifully.

'So Maggur came to your village?' asked Kel.

'His men came,' croaked Novak.

'They told you if you didn't fight then harm would come to your women and children.'

Novak nodded, more tears liking down his bloody cheeks. 'And they are bad men. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to go. We had no choice.'

Kel considered the man quietly, wondering how to proceed.

'Novak, I know what Maggur and his armies are capable of.' She spoke rapidly, sure that Raoul was listening and not sure how good his understanding of scanran was. 'I was there when Somalkt fell.'

The scanran's teary eyes widened, 'The battle of the bloody plains?'

'Is that what they're calling it now?' asked Kel humourlessly.

'I _know_ that the country is in ruins, thousands slaughtered, enslaved, impoverished by Maggur's schemes. But there is no fighting force left in Scanra that can oppose him. The _only_ way to bring him down is if Tortall wins this war. They don't want to invade Scanra, they want to save it, to save it from the hands of a tryrant like Maggur. And we need your help.'

'I don't know anything,' the man repeated, 'I told you.'

'But you know small things that are important to us.' Kel argued.

'Some of the men are my friends,' he whispered. 'How can I help their attackers?'

'Because if you don't they'll likely die anyway,' said Kel quietly. 'And without our armies the killings will just go on and on. Maggur will empty every village in Scanra of men before he gives up. Think how many _millions_ will die if this war isn't stopped.'

'How do I know that you aren't just making all of this up?' he asked.

Kel unsheathed Courage and the man cowered back, eyes fixed on the blade, terror overcoming his features.

'I'm not going to attack,' said Kel hurriedly, 'I just want to show you the blade.'

_You will always have the strength and the courage. _Small words inscribed in scanran near the hilt. Kel had been hoping that Novak would recognise a gift from a clan chief, but there was no spark of recognition in the farmer's eyes.

'I made a promise, swore by the Goddess that I would help, a friend, to set things right in Scanra. And I mean to stick by that promise.'

'What friend?'

'It doesn't matter,' said Kel in a falsely off-handed tone. 'But surely you must've heard of rebel groups fighting Maggur?'

Novak's eyes were wide, 'There have been rumours. Ambushes, poisonings, six months ago three mines were destroyed.'

'That sounds like them,' said Kel, her heart leaping at some news of what Alex had been up to.

'Alright,' he whispered, 'I'll tell you anything I know.'

'Thank you,' said Kel, reaching forward and squeezing the farmer's hand. 'My lord is waiting outside.'

Fear sparked afresh in Novak's eyes.

'He's a good man.' Kel assured Novak.

She sheathed Courage and poked her head around the door. 'He'll help us.'

With Kel translating Raoul's questions, they coaxed information out of the man. Three hundred scanrans had crossed the Vassa, the day before yesterday and had split into two armies and several smaller raiding parties.

'You never fail to suprise me, squire of mine,' said Raoul, as they left Novak and returned to the main office. That was more than just basic scanran...'

'My life often depended on passing as a local,' Kel said quietly, 'I learned fast.'

When they were inside Raoul asked, 'Do you think he was telling the truth?'

Kel nodded. 'He's terrified. A farmer yanked away from his home and family and forced to wage war. It's not _right_,' she growled. 'We train for years, _volunteer_ to protect our country. They don't stand a chance in battle. And yet because they're only farmers, Maggur treats them like they're disposable objects.'

'We'll get him Kel, it make take a couple of years, but we'll win this war and Maggur will retreat back up north with his tail between his legs.' Raoul said consolingly.

Kel didn't reply, knowing that it was going to take a lot more than a Tortallan victory to dispose of Maggur. It was going to be down to whether one man had enough brains, luck and skill to outwit Maggur against all the odds.

Raoul was looking at his maps again, pinpointing the locations that Novak had described. Although not an officer, Novak believed it would be the enemies plan to strike at local villages whilst occupying the forts with larger armies. This forewarning would give Raoul time to come up with counter moves and plans to defend the border.

'And what of these metal machines, sir?' Novak had mentioned overhearing two officers who were complaining about having to wait for the "metal machines" they'd been promised.

'I don't know,' said Raoul, a worried frown across his ruddy face. 'I'll send an urgent message to Sir Myles, see if he has any idea what they could be.'

He didn't need to tell Kel that whatever these machines were, they didn't bode well for the Tortallan forces.

* * *

**-a/n- **Well another update! I enjoyed writing this chapter because it's one I've had planned for AGES, and it's satisfying to finally have it completed.

Would love to hear your thoughts on how the story's progressing...

**Confusedknight** xx


	67. Grim days

**-a/n-** Eeee! Another chapter for all of you wonderful people! And I can promise some Alex, a battle and a horrible cliffhanger...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your lovely comments! I would've replied to more them if I hadn't been so busy writing this chapter ;D (And keeping the puppy under control!) For those of you who asked he's a gorgeous little golden retriever (although not golden at all; he looks like a baby polar bear at the moment...) I'll change my profile pic to him so you can see ;D

Here it is...

**Confusedknight** xxx

* * *

The grey clouds were heavy, heavy like the heart of the hazel-eyed man staring up at them. Sparse sunlight was penetrating the thick forest through which they tramped. The silence was oppressive. The trees were still and no movement disturbed their surroundings save for the weary band of rebels walking onwards because it was that or give up and die.

Stomach's were so empty that they hurt; there had been no food for over eight days, not since they'd entered the forest. Some of the younger boys had tried to eat some of the damp moss that grew on the dark tree trunks, but had been sick hours later.

Alex knew that they could not go on much longer, and what was worse, they knew that they were nearing the end. In the forest, with the cloudy weather shielding the sun and stars, no maps and certainly no compasses, they were walking blind.

They'd already lost one man on this punishing trek. At the time they'd buried him. Now Alex wasn't sure whether it wouldn't have been better to eat the man's remains; anything would be better than this constant, debilitating hunger.

He scratched the short beard that had sprouted on his face. Not able to remember the last time he'd had a bath and shave, Alex had resorted to hacking the facial hair off with his dagger whenever the beard grew irritatingly long.

One of the younger boys was crying, again. Sixteen, his face already haunted he'd collapsed to the ground, too hungry and exhausted to continue on. Not for the first time Alex thanked the gods that he'd sent Kel away when he had. Although he'd seen Kel in a bad way before, he'd do almost anything to spare her the suffering of his fellow freedom-fighters.

Men were helping the boy, hauling him roughly to his feet. It was Tor, once a broad, well-muscled man was now wasted and emaciated, clothes hanging loosely off his shoulders, not hiding the stump where his right-hand should've been. He looked up and his eyes caught Alex's, filled with desperation.

Alex looked away. He'd led them here. They expected him to find a way out of this mess. Twenty-six years old and the fates of millions of lives rested on him. If they all died in this gods-forsaken forest then the revolution would never happen. Maggur would continue his rule, destroy Scanra in his quest to have dominion, to control the "riches" of Tortall.

The last village he'd led them to had been crawling with Maggur's soldiers, outfitted in their blood-red tunics. Whilst he doubted that any of them would recognise him, being recruited by force into the army would've set back his plans somewhat.

They'd fled on foot, with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and the swords on their hips. Alex didn't want to think about what would happen if he'd miscalculated their path through the forest. If there was not a safe village on the other side...

They needed food, rest and horses. Alex wanted to leave some of the party holed up in a village and only take a select few to ride to Mydnnalk. He needed news from the border. Urgently.

* * *

Sweat was trickling down Kel's cheeks. She could see sunlight reflecting off of the sweat beaded on the forehead of the man lying next to her. They were flat on their stomachs, heads peering over the rocky bluff that they were sheltering behind. Five paces to her right and sheltering behind and overturned wagon lay Sergeant Osbern and three others of his squad.

The sun was beating down mercilessly and Kel's armour was roasting her alive. She cursed inside her head at the Scanrans who'd driven them into this position. Riversedge was fortified and protected, Flyndan was holding their own fort, and Vanget was besieged in Northwatch. Cursing the enemy for multi-headed attacks, Raoul had ridden out to protect a caravan loading at the silver mines. They'd driven back the raiding party from the gully only to become trapped with Scanrans lurking in the forest at either end of the short valley.

If one defending force failed the other would find themselves under attack from all sides and would inevitably annihilated. Raoul, and four squads had taken the main entrance, leaving Osbern's squad and Kel to hold the rear.

There was a rustle in the bushes, Osbern hand-signalled his squad to hold still. Let the enemy reveal himself before they did. Kel notched a griffin-fletched arrow to her bowstring. As the first wave of Scanrans rushed forward eleven Tortallan arrows were loosed towards them. Some missed altogether or bounced off of plate armour but Kel's arrow and two others struck true; three Scanrans dropped, dead.

Without a pause, Osbern gave the second cry and more arrows flew to bury themselves in Scanran flesh. The blonde men were too close to them now and Kel snatched up her sword even before the sergeant had given the command.

Charging, the blue band of soldiers hit the red, Kel a small speck of green felling red infantry at a deadly pace. When the Scanrans turned tail and ran the squad retreated also, back to their makeshift shelters. A few arrows whizzed over the top of them, poorly aimed.

With barely time to catch their breath a newly formed wave of Scanrans, their shields interlocked in a barrier against arrows, marched forward.

The man next to Kel swore, 'Mithros save us. There must be at least thirty of them.'

His words were true, when Kel next chanced a glimpse over the rock she could see the four neat blocks advancing towards them, sheltered behind enormous iron shields. An arrow whooshed past Kel's ear and she threw her head down breathing fast. There was a cry, Sergeant Osbern pitched forward, an arrow protruding from his side. He'd been crouched over, running to give them instructions.

This time it was Kel's turn to swear colourfully. 'Take those archers down, _now_.' She hissed, handing Walton and Gildes a handful of her precious griffin arrows.

Hearing screams from the Scanrans, Kel knew the arrows had been successful. This would be their only opportunity, and there was only one way that they could beat a force in close quarters that outnumbered them over three-to-one. 'Mount up,' she hollered. The men closest to her scrambled at the order, whilst others hesitated. 'Do it.' Her tone brooked no argument.

The men sprinted for their mounts picketed behind the shelter of rocky outgrowths from the cliffs that trapped them in the gully. The Scanran forces ran forward eagerly, convinced the enemy were fleeing. When Kel's defending force, only ten-strong since Osbern had been felled, slammed into the warriors with devastating results. Those who weren't trampled were slashed at by the swords of men fighting desperately for their lives and the lives of their comrades.

Kel kept the mounted fighters in a tight formation so that they could wheel around and make a second charge through. Several minutes of intense fighting later, it was the Scanrans who turned tail and fled. The trained men of the Own didn't break rank but came to a halt behind Kel. Their eighteen-year-old commander pushed sweaty hair from her forehead as she counted those still in the saddle.

'Fenric went down,' said Walton quietly.

'Let's get back behind there,' said Kel firmly, privately amazed that they'd only lost one man in the crazy last-ditch attempt.

They found Sergeant Osbern slumped against the sandy rock, his face white with pain and blood loss.

'You two,' Kel pointed at the two soldiers nearest her. 'Dismount and get back there as lookouts. Any word from the other end?'

Osbern shook his head weakly, each movement costing him a great effort. 'Sounds...like... heavy...fighting.' He gasped.

'We should send someone,' pointed out a corporal. 'Call for help here.'

'If my Lord had any spare men, he would've sent someone to see how we were faring,' retorted Kel. 'We must assume that they're under heavy assault.'

'This is madness,' commented one man. 'You're going to let this squire give the orders?' he asked the corporal.

'The way I see it,' rasped Osbern, 'This squire...just saved all our hides. She saw...the chance and took...it.' He nodded stiffly to Kel,' Keladry...you're in charge...now.'

Kel met the man's eyes briefly. It was one thing to seize control in an emergency, the heat of battle, and quite another to be charged with the safeguarding of a squad. She squared her shoulders.

'My Lord instructed us to block the Scanrans here. And until we see Scanrans charging up from that end,' she gestured to where Raoul's troops were fighting out of sight, 'That's precisely what we're going to do.'

'Anyone got any healing Gift at all?' Kel looked around at the dirty, wary faces.

No one answered her plea. 'Gildes, get a bandage on Osbern, try and slow the blood loss. I'm going back up to the front. You, with me,' she pointed to the corporal. Everyone else stay mounted. If we give the signal, get ready to charge and cover our retreat.'

The men glanced towards the corporal. 'Do as she says,' he growled.

Kel and Corporal Rafel joined the two sentries, crawling along the ground on their bellies to avoid making themselves a target for arrows.

'Any sign of them?' whispered Kel.

'There was movement a couple of minutes ago,' came the whispered reply. 'We were about to call and then it all went quiet again.'

'I don't like this,' growled the Corporal. 'If they've got mages in there we're royally doomed.'

Kel heard far-off shouts and a great crashing sound. The shouts and yells faded, but the crashing only got louder and louder. Something enormous, something destructive, was coming at them from within the forest.

Kel's flushed face drained of colour. If that was a _giant_...

When the metal machine emerged from the undergrowth a minute later, seven feet tall with metal-coated bones, chains and pulleys instead of muscle, huge slicing knives for fingers and toes, Kel almost wished that it had been a giant.

It crawled towards them, it's grotesque doomed head turning slowly this way and that, a gaping mouth set with teeth longer than Kel's fingers. Could that..._thing_... see?

Not in any of her worst nightmares could Kel have dreamed up so horrible a creature. Was it a creature or a machine? If anything could've been worse than seeing the terrible _thing _emerging from the woods, slashing and clicking, it was seeing the other men looking to her for instruction.

If one hundred Scanrans had emerged Kel reckoned her brain could've concocted some plan, even if it led to their death in battle. Her mind was utterly blank. How on earth did you fight something entirely covered by metal whose very digits were slashing with deadly force. You only had to look at the way it had carved a path through the thick undergrowth to know that they were razor sharp.

If she died now, here in Tortall, her biggest regret would be not seeing Alex again. Not thanking him one last time for picking up the pieces of her life and pulling her back together. Alex's face swam in front of her eyes, followed swiftly by Raoul and Dom's. These three men, who she trusted more than anyone else in the world, cleared her mind of it's blank fog.

'Get the others,' she spoke firmly to Walton. 'On foot. Send someone to the mines, get them to bring anything that could help. Pickaxes, ropes, _anything_.'

Kel's hands went to her bow. Her actions were mirrored by her two companions.

'May Mithros save us,' muttered Rafel.

'So mote it be,' they replied tonelessly.

Standing up fully they loosed. The last of the griffin arrows flew true, two burying themselves the the hollows that might've been eye sockets. The third arrow hit the creature's domed head but glanced off of the metal shell.

Despite standing up, in full view of the enemy, there were no Scanrans to be seen and Kel felt that they'd likely just let their killing machine do all the work. Casting the useless bows aside, Kel's hand went, as it always did, to Courage belted at her hip and she stepped forward numbly.

If they could confused it perhaps, come at it from different angles... She signalled this to her comrades and they crept closer. The machine had paused in his thrashing and with a yell, soon followed by Kel's cry of 'No', Tomas had leapt in triumphantly, sword aimed at the creatures plated trunk. Metal struck metal with a screeching clang and moments later Tomas's head whirred through the air, disconnected from his torso by a metal arm that had whipped around without warning.

Kel signalled a retreat to Rafel. This was going to take more than two of them to restrain. Still the thing advanced onwards. Minutes, though it seemed like hours later, the rest of the squad arrived.

They saw Kel and the corporal's face, and no one asked where Tomas was.

'We've got to restrain it's arms,' said Kel. 'We need to get close enough to see if we can't kill it somehow.' She looked around. 'Two to each leg. Let's use ropes.'

The attack happened incredibly fast. Lassoes were thrown for each horrible clanking leg. Only two made purchase. The beast started to thrash as the soldiers held on grimly, restraining the sweeping slashes. One free leg whipped around to crash into Kel's chest. The knives left long rakes in her breastplate. As the leg came around for it's next attack Kel grabbed onto it. Above the deadly hands, the rest of the leg was a jumble of pulleys and chains. Enraged at the sudden weight on it's hind-limb, it tried shaking her free, but Kel hung on grimly. It smashed her over and over into the ground. Stars dancing before Kel's eyes, she held on for all she was worth. Courage had long since slipped from her hand as her fingers had entwined in the beast's metal muscles.

The machine, distracted momentarily by whatever was going on at it's front end, allowed Kel to throw herself onto it's back, her fingers finding one of the ropes that had fallen short of the limb and had ensnared the neck instead.

'Axe!' she roared with a voice that didn't sound very much like her own. Someone tossed her one of the miners pickaxe's. For a second it slipped through her bloody hands before her fingers tightened. Knowing she had only moments before she slipped off or worse. Kel swung the axe back and then buried it's point in the creature's head.

Rather than a roar or bellow, a small voice asked 'Mama?'

Kel was so surprised that she slipped sideways. As she did so, the pickaxe dislodged from the metal skull. There was a whoosh of steam and the thing sagged, limp. Kel tumbled to the floor and pushed so that she rolled away from the repulsive creature.

Staggering to her feet and feeling thoroughly battered, Kel gazed around.

'Tie -' her voice was a rasp. 'Get this' she kicked one of the limp metal legs, 'trussed up.'

The men scrambled to obey, no one was questioning Kel's authority now.

'The rest of you, back to positions, the enemy are still out there.' _Mithros help us if they've got more of those machines_. Kel thought.

One man, Fal, had a bad leg wound courtesy of the monster and was sent back to Osbern who'd slipped into unconsciousness.

They held their watch for how long Kel didn't know. Adrenalin was the only thing left holding her shaky body up. She'd been reunited with her sword and now grasped it tightly for reassurance.

When Raoul rode up and saw, not only the piles of Scanran dead and his weary, injured squad and trembling squire, but also the seven-foot monster felled and wrapped up like a fly caught in a spider's web, his mouth fell open.

He cast around for Sergeant Osbern and noted his absence. 'Who's in charge here?'

All the soldiers, some of them without the energy to stagger to their feet, glanced or pointed at Kel, who was leaning against the rock cliff for support.

'Very well, I'll take your report later. Vanget's companies are here to sweep the area. Make the wounded your first priority. Then collect the Tortallan dead before the Stormwings come.'

Kel had spotted the sunlight glinting off of the massive metal bird-creatures about an hour previously and knew that they were circling, just waiting for their opportunity.

'Corporal, I'm leaving you in charge of the clean-up, I need Kel.'

It took a lot of effort for Kel to push herself off of the cliff face. She staggered slightly but managed to remain upright.

'How-' her voice was nothing but a whisper. She'd done a lot of shouting that afternoon.

Raoul handed her a water flask which she accepted gratefully.

'How were things your end?'

'Bad. They had giants, we managed to hold them off until Vanget arrived.' He took Kel's arm, supporting and steering her over to where the metal monster lay. 'I'll be a lot happier when Wyldon's finished building his fort and we've got closer back up. He shook his head. Vanget's got seven companies, we've got one to defend our entire area. And what in Shakith's name is_ this_?'

'I _think_ it's one of those killing machines we've been hearing reports of,' Kel managed, suppressing a shudder. 'It took eight of us to even try and control the thing.'

'I want Numair Saliman here, _now_' growled Raoul.

Kel, after another swig of water was able to pull herself into Prince's saddle.

'How bad were our losses?' asked Kel.

Raoul didn't answer for a moment. 'Seven our end.'

'And two here, provided Osbern makes it.'

'Let's clear up this mess and get home.'

* * *

Darkness had long since fallen by the time Kel had cleaned herself up using a bucket and sponge in the wash house. Curled up in an uncomfortable wooden chair, she was wearing an enormous company-issue shirt tucked into a clean pair of breeches. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, drying off.

She was in Raoul's office, waiting for her knight-master to return. When he did, he too was dripping. He was still in his sweat-soaked battle clothes and Kel had a feeling that Raoul had simply dunked his head in a bucket of water. He acknowledged her presence with a small smile and then ducked into his bedroom to change.

A few minutes later there was a muffled curse.

'Kel,' Raoul's head popped out from the door. 'Can you help me to change this bandage?'

Kel stood up gingerly; her side and back was black and blue from where the creature had thrown her repeatedly against the ground.

Raoul came out shirtless with a half-tied bandage around his arm.

Kel was too weary to be remotely embarrassed about seeing her knight-master half-naked. She re-tied the bandage firmly. With a mutter of thanks, Raoul pulled on a clean shirt and collapsed into his chair, head on his hands.

'What a nightmare.' He said, 'What a nightmare.'

'Sir?'

'I should never have allowed us to become trapped like that,' Raoul shook his head, self-disgust in his face.

'Sir it wasn't your-'

'I left you with ten men to defend against,' his voice broke off. 'It's a miracle we weren't all killed.'

'You did what you could with the men you had available,' Kel said sternly. 'What if's are no good now, no good at all. We survived, and those nine men will go peacefully to the Black God's realm.'

'Ten,' said Raoul miserably. 'Hurse just died in the infirmary.'

Kel winced. They had lost a tenth of Third Company in one day.

'Vanget's going to get mages to blow up that cursed mine so it's no longer a target for raiders.' He rubbed his face. 'I'll sort out the paperwork and arrange funerals tomorrow. For now everyone is back inside this fort.' He settled back in his chair. 'All I have left to do is hear what happened up your end. There are wild stories flying around. Something about you leading charges against hundreds of Scanrans and wrestling with metal killing machines.'

Kel's cheeks reddened slightly. 'It wasn't hundreds. More like forty-odd.'

'And the killing machine?'

'I wasn't wrestling it in some inspired moment of glory,' retorted Kel. 'I was trying to keep the thing from chopping us into pieces!'

'Start at the beginning,' said Raoul, pouring them both a glass of apple juice.

By the time she'd regaled her tale, Raoul was looking impressed. This made Kel uncomfortable.

'Look I know it sounds all glorious, but most of the time I was just trying to save our skins.'

'I know,' said Raoul with a slight smile at his indignant squire, but a serious tone to his voice, 'And that's the mark of a true commander. You assessed the situation and acted instinctively. You saved those men Kel, I've no doubt about that. And as much as you may pretend to be a simple soldier, and don't get me wrong you fight very well following orders, but you've got the intuition and level-headedness that few possess. You did me, and your other teachers proud today.'

Kel didn't know how to respond to such praise so she ducked her head.

After a few moments silence, Kel said; 'I heard you bagged yourself another giant, my Lord.'

Raoul smiled wearily. 'As you said, it sounds a lot more glorious than it actually was.' He snorted, 'The men are even proposing to name this fort Giantkiller.'

'You know, you should go and get your arm looked at, Sir.' Kel pointed out.

'I will tomorrow when the healers have fixed the seriously wounded.'

'Are you alright?' He asked suddenly, his eyes sweeping from her head to feet as though expecting to see blood suddenly pouring forth.

'Fine,' Kel assured him. 'A little bruised, that's all.'

After a moment's pause, Raoul said gently, 'Dom was shot.'

'What?' Kel gasped, a sudden dread filling her chest, she'd been deliberately avoiding asking who hadn't made it.

'He's fine,' Raoul assured her hurriedly. 'The healers have stitched him up, he's fine. He'll probably be resting, but I just thought you should know.'

As Kel bid Raoul good night she thanked the gods silently that she had Raoul for a knight-master. He didn't fuss unnecessarily, accepted her relationship with Dom, had never once shouted at her, trusted her word to be truthful, and what's more was honest with Kel, talking to her as an equal. Kel also prayed that she'd never be forced to choose between betraying him or betraying Alex.

Kel slipped inside the dark women's barracks with the intention of flopping down on her bed and going straight to sleep. As she slid the door shut behind her, someone stepped out of the shadows. She started and then realised who it was.

Tall and as broad-shouldered as ever, with his right arm in a sling, Dom reached out to her.

'We could be seen,' Kel whispered, allowing herself to be pulled into his warm embrace.

'Everyone's too preoccupied with what happened earlier. I needed to see you,' Dom's good left hand caressed her cheek.

'I'm fine,' Kel reassured him. 'It's you I should be worried about.'

'The healers patched me up nicely,' said Dom. 'And all I've been hearing about is how you've been busy wrestling seven-feet machines of death, nearly losing your head and-' his voice was too thick to carry on.

'Honestly, no harm done,' said Kel somewhat shakily looking into his intense blue eyes. She winced as he squeezed her closer to him. 'Nothing permanent anyway.' Dom's fingers un-tucked the shirt gently and pulled it up to reveal Kel's black-and-blue side. Kel shivered at his touch although his fingers weren't cold.

'Just a few bruises,' said Kel pushing her shirt down again.

Dom buried his face in Kel's damp hair. 'Those were the worst losses in a single battle since I joined the Own,' he murmured.

'Who?' Kel asked, dreading the answer.

'Luke,' Dom replied in a half sob. 'But there were so many others.'

Kel nodded soberly. 'I lost Fenric and Tomas.' After a pause she said. 'But you can't let yourself think like that. You kept eight other men alive against difficult odds.' She knew the words would do little to soothe the agony of losing a man you'd trained for years. It hurt, Mithros it hurt. Kel didn't know how she'd coped with the losses at Somalkt, even the death of Tomas and Fenric was tormenting her, wondering if she'd done things differently would they still be alive...

She held Dom until his ragged breathing returned to normal and wiped away his tears. They bid each other goodnight and Dom left, leaving her to the darkness and her thoughts.

Kel fell into bed so exhausted the she had no energy left for sobbing. A numb feeling enveloped her and tears ran silently down her cheeks, wetting the pillow. Somehow sleep crept up and before Kel knew it the morning's light was creeping around the cracks in the door, signalling the arrival of a new day.

* * *

Everyone was dressed smartly; the whole company, or what was left of it, assembled to honour the fallen. Even all the men who'd been occupying the infirmary had insisted on being funeral pyre had been built outside the walls of the newly christened Giantkiller.

Ten bodies were wrapped in undyed cloth, lined neatly in a row. Someone had draped a King's Own flag over the centre of the pyre. The men stood to attention, listening whilst Raoul read a short speech that Kel knew he'd spent nearly all night preparing. He named each man, spoke of them in a way such that they'd be missed as friends and not only as good fighters. Each man was saluted in turn by the Company. A prayer was read out, wishing the men a speedy journey to the Black god's realm and peacefulness ever after.

Someone, a mage, sent a flash of fire to one corner of the pyre and the dry wood caught alight eagerly. Another mage added his fire to the crackling blaze and several others stepped forward until the whole pyre, all 8 yards of it, was consumed by dancing flames.

The men took a step back; they didn't want to smell the burnt flesh of their comrades. Slowly a song welled up, starting as a murmur and growing until the air was vibrating with the deep voices of mourning warriors.

Kel was standing with the officers. Dom's face was void of tears now; he'd had his cry last night, in Kel's arms. Sergeant Osbern on the other hand was making no effort to step the flow of tears cascading down his whiskery cheeks. Raoul's eyes were lifted to the heavens as he sang, though whether he was praying or merely trying to keep from crying Kel couldn't tell.

She added her voice to the harmony, at least an octave above the others. Flyn looked around in surprise, Kel pretended not to notice. Why shouldn't she sing? She lost herself in the melody, it was a release, she hadn't sung like this since that last night in Somalkt.

The men stood close together, shoulder to shoulder, brothers in arms. Supporting each other without losing face. The song ended. A lone voice sounded through the calm afternoon, this song was meant to be a solo and everyone listened lost in their own thoughts.

Another prayer was said and the men filtered back inside Giantkiller, back to their duties. The fire burnt and then smouldered all afternoon, the grey plume of smoke a grim reminder of yesterday's battles.

When it had finally burnt itself out, a group were sent to bury what was left of the remains. The ash and skeleton fragments were buried in a shallow grave short distance from Giantkiller's outerwalls, along with the others who'd died since their posting to the fort. It was out of the way and would likely remain unsullied by the battles ahead. Ten markers were added to the five already standing. When it was done, Raoul and the other sergeants visited to pay their last respects.

No prayers were said this time. The silence ate away at all of them. Raoul looked at his despondent officers, at the grim faces watching from the fortress's walls. He nudged Kel, trying to convey with his eyes what he wanted her to do.

Kel closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled slowly, peacefully. Most of the songs she knew were Scanran, but of the few sung in Common tongue, she knew before Raoul had even asked her which song it was that she would sing.

The first phrase pierced the evening air, causing all in the vicinity to search for the creator of the ethereal, lilting melody that filled the night in so many ways. It was simple, it was beautiful. A song of desperate hope, although whether sung to those who'd passed on or those left behind no one could tell.

As the last note died away, Kel bowed her head. She almost jumped as she felt Raoul's massive hand give her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

'Let's go,' he said quietly.

That night they ate, and after supper played cards or challenged each other to shoots. The atmosphere was beginning to return to normal. They'd mourned, they had to move on; a Company that lost hope was a disaster waiting to happen.

* * *

They encountered the enemy half a dozen or so times before a chill descended and Raoul predicted that Maggur's army would have to retreat north or risk dying of exposure when the snows came.

It was mid-October when Wyldon, Vanget and a couple of other district commanders rode into Giantkiller (to Raoul's displeasure the name had stuck.)

When Kel asked whether Lady Alanna would be attending the meeting, thinking that she'd love a chance to see Neal again, Raoul had to gently remind her that they would've started to head south in time for Neal's Ordeal.

Kel, with all her worries of the war, Alex, and Scanra in general had completely forgotten that her year-mates would all be undergoing their Ordeal this Midwinter. She herself had another year to go, if she made it that far. Kel wondered just where the last three years had disappeared to; her time with the Own seemed fleeting compared to the years she'd spent in Scanra and travelling on her own.

When the visitors reached Giantkiller Owen was overjoyed to see Kel. Torn between leaping to hug or bowing, he had ended up leaping into a semi-bow and then staggering to regain his balance. His cheeks were as rosy and chubby as Kel remembered them and she greeted him warmly.

The commanders were there to discuss what action should be taken over winter to best prepare the border for the inevitable assault it would receive when Maggur threw the whole of Scanra at them in the Spring.

The skies were grey and stormy, a biting wind ruffling the flag of the King's Own on it's tall pole when Kel entered Raoul's office. By the time she left that evening night had already descended. Worn out with her brain buzzing from trying to keep track of bands of soldiers and where they would be best stationed, Kel changed slowly into her night shirt and slipped under her blankets, wiggling around until the bed was warm.

It felt like a mere second after her head hit the pillow when there was a great hammering at her door. It was thrown open, flickering light and cold breeze flooding into the room.

'Squire Kel.'

She was already up, sword in her hand.

'My lord wants you, immediately.'

Kel cursed, searching for a pair of breeches.

'Now,' the man said in a tone that offered no opportunity to argue.

Kel stuffed her feet into her boots, still fumbling for breeches. After ten seconds she conceded defeat and hurried from the barracks, the breeze chilling her legs. Luckily the nightshirt covered her almost to the knees and whatever Raoul wanted, it sounded urgent.

Instead of leading her to Raoul's office, the man hurried up onto the watchtower, Kel scrambling after him. To her relief, Kel discovered that she wasn't the only one who hadn't had time to dress properly. Her fellow Squire was also only wearing a night-shirt, though he hadn't managed to get boots on either. Raoul was in breeches, his shirt completely unlaced and flapping in the wind. Wyldon and General Vanget had night-shirts tucked into breeches. What had been so urgent?

Kel was bemused to see that not one of the party had their swords on them. They were all staring out across the wall of the fortress to where a light was burning some distance from the fort. The flickering light illuminated the thick smoke that was furling up into the sky. Bits of flaming debris were being carried upwards with the plume.

'What's going on?' Kel whispered to Owen.

'The watchman spotted that, and that' Owen gestured in a separate direction where Kel could see, although it was further away, the evidence of another fire.

'Gods curse it, we all thought the Scanran's had packed their bags and left for the winter.' Snarled Flyn.

'And the fact that this is at least a double-pronged attack means that Maggur wants to get the last punch in before winter. He doesn't seem to care that these men aren't going to make it back before the snows hit.' Said Raoul tiredly.

'Where do you think has been hit?' Kel asked quietly.

'We think that one is an army watch-house,' replied Lord Wyldon, 'But _that_ one, is more likely to be the town of Goatstrack.'

Kel felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach.

* * *

**-a/n-** Muahhahah I'm an evil author. But you haven't had a cliffhanger for a while, so I thought I'd treat you to one ;D

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, the writing's coming a lot easier now I'm getting back into it. Spent most of the time writing this outside, occasionally, (okay more than occasionally,) getting distracted by the puppy.

The song that Kel sings (in my mind at least) is 'May it Be' sung by Enya for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Youtube it :P (I also have a Hayley Westenra version but I'm not sure whose I prefer...)

As always your lovely thoughts would be appreciated,

**Confusedknight** xx

P.s. I'm also wondering if anyone's got any books they'd recommend for summer reading? I figured you're the best people to ask...


	68. Old faces, New faces

**-a/n-** Hello, hello! Sorry for the delay. I actually started writing this chapter immediately after I posted the last one. Then, unfortunately my lovely puppy fell ill. He got better, then worse, and then even more worse until it got to the point where we thought we might lose him :( Obviously at this point I was not in the mood for writing anything. 3 operations later he's bounced back to health so quickly we don't know what's hit us :D Thankfully he's now put on lots of weight and is back to creating havoc (got sent out of his puppy class this week for being too naughty!)

Anyway, for the last two weeks I've been doing work experience, first at a cat rescue centre and now at an equestrian centre, both of which are great fun, but exhausting, leaving me little time to write.

A quick point - in this chapter I've taken Douglass of Veldine to be Raoul's squire. I know that it could've been Sacherell of Wellam, but I couldn't actually find anywhere official on the web to confirm which one it was. What I did find however is some quasi-canon that said that in between the Alanna books and seeing Douglass as a knight protector to Maura, he actually did some information gathering for George! Interesting huh...so I decided to use him instead of Sacherell.

I shall let you read the chapter now, if you've actually bothered to read this long, rambling note! Thanks for all the reviews for last chapter. Reviewers = my FAVOURITE PEOPLE!

I hope you're loving summer '10 ;D

**Confusedknight** xxx

* * *

There were tense discussions about what should be done. The people living in the area were their responsibility, under their protection, but then so too reasoned Wyldon, were the men of the Own. Riding out to meet the enemy whose numbers they had no idea about, in the dark, could be nothing short of suicide.

'What about sending out a small scouting party?' suggested Kel when the debate lulled. 'With mages to light the way. If the enemy are too great in number then they remain strictly observatory, if it is merely renegade raiding parties then they can save any remaining civilians.'

General Vanget blinked rather owlishly, considering Kel. He then looked to Raoul.

'I think it's the best plan we've got.' When Vanget turned to Wyldon, Raoul gave Kel the smallest of winks.

Lord Wyldon nodded curtly. 'Two squads ought to do it.'

'We'll ride out through that hunting track that winds to Riversedge-'

'You are not going anywhere,' pointed out the General.

'They're my men,' argued Raoul. 'If it's going to be dangerous-'

'Then I will not risk you for the sake of a couple of villagers,' said Vanget firmly. 'When the war truly hits then I'll need you to prevent thousand-strong armies from pillaging whole Fiefs.'

'So I'm indispensable,' growled Raoul, 'But two of my squads aren't.'

'No,' replied Vanget curtly, 'In this case it is the villagers who're the dispensable ones. I'm sorry Raoul, but the likelihood is that they're mostly dead anyway.'

'Well all the same,' said Flyndan, scowling, 'We're not in the habit of leaving people at the hands of the barbarians, even if they are, uh, dispensable commoners.'

Flyndan, who was common-born himself, looked to Raoul who nodded and spoke; 'Volorin and Quasim's.' Flyn then hurried away to rouse the two squads.

'Kel, Lerant, start saddling mounts.' Raoul instructed.

'Jesslaw go with them.' Lord Wyldon ordered.

'Yes, my Lord', Owen answered, unable to stifle a yawn. 'Right away, Sir.'

Kel picked out the correct horses and soon the three of them were hefting saddles and tightening girths and buckles with deft fingers. The night was cold but by the time the men arrived, alert and ready for duty in their mail and uniforms, Kel had worked up a slight sweat.

Kel handed Flyn his massive gelding and held the stirrup whilst Flyn mounted up. She checked everything one more time.

'Gods bless,' Kel told the serious man, giving him a small salute with her sword.

Flyn looked amused that she was standing in her nightshirt and yet had her weapon. 'Do you sleep with that thing Squire?' he inquired, eyebrows raised.

'Wouldn't you like to know?' Kel said tiredly. A couple of seconds later she realised how her off-hand comment had come out. Flyndan raised his eyebrows again. Fighting not to blush, Kel met his gaze.

'Maybe I'll just ask Dom,' he said casually with a small smirk.

Kel's mouth fell open. Flyn let out a bark of laughter. 'Let's go,' he called, and twenty mounts trotted forward and out through the gates of Giantkiller.

Once she'd got over her initial shock, she had to smile. It was the first time that Captain Flyndan Whiteford had bantered with her, treated her like one of the men.

She stood, ignoring the cold for a couple of minutes.

'Breeches gone out of fashion?' inquired Raoul in an amused tone, surveying their attire.

'Couldn't find them, my Lord,' said Owen cheerily. 'At least it's not snowing!' he wiggled his muddy feet.

'Well you can go and get warm,' said Raoul, 'Not much to be done till Flyn gets back.'

'Lord Cavall?' inquired Owen.

'Wyldon's talking to Vanget, he asked me to relay the message.'

Owen bowed shortly and hurried away, arms wrapped around himself.

'Well spoken earlier,' said Raoul. 'I thought if the idea came from you then Vanget might be distracted enough to let us go.' He sighed. 'I hate waiting.'

They'd walked to Kel's barracks. 'Night Kel.'

'Sir.' Kel watched her knight-master stride away.

She hurried inside and dressed warmly, pulling on breeches, two pairs of socks, fleece-lined boots, an under-shirt, over-shirt, woollen jumper and a fleece-lined jerkin. She pulled her hair back into a loose but tidy plait and strapped on Courage's sheath around her small waist.

She tracked down Raoul, who was waiting on Giantkiller's wall, staring out into the darkness. She perched next to the huge knight.

'I hate waiting too.'

* * *

The air around them gradually seemed to thin, the cloying darkness lifting as the sun peeped up over the horizon. Squire and knight-master took this as a signal to move from their uncomfortable positions and stretch the kinks out of their spines. Kel rubbed her fingers briskly, trying to ease some warmth into the frozen digits.

They were about to go and rouse the rest of the King's Own, so that when it was properly light they could ride out and assess the damage, when Kel spied movements in the trees. She tugged Raoul's arm, pointing silently. As the pair watched an assortment of people moved out from the trees' shelter. Men, women, horses, children and soldiers made their way wearily towards the fort.

'That's Flyn,' said Raoul, squinting through the grey morning's light. 'Quick, run and get Wyldon and Vanget,' he instructed Kel.

Doing as she was told, Kel hared off to the barracks. Skidding round a corner she found herself face to fact with both commanders and had to make a real effort not to bump into them.

'Captain Whiteford's returned, seemingly with surviving villagers.'

Two men were hurriedly lifting the bars so that they could open the large gates. Raoul was still up on the wall, watching to see how many of his men had returned.

As they filed in through the gate, Kel herself counted twenty blue and silver uniforms and heaved a sigh of relief. Of the villagers there were about sixty, some riding farm ponies, others strung on makeshift-stretchers, all milling around, talking, wailing, comforting each other. Kel was casting around for any faces that she recognised, but it was impossible to see everyone through the crowd.

Flyndan was fighting his way over.

'We found them half-way here,' he shook his head in amazement. 'Fought the raiders all the way. When we showed up they scarpered, not much of an invading force,' he shook his head. 'About forty presumed dead, and that's only from Goatstrack, we'll have to send out proper scout parties to other villages around.'

Wyldon nodded in agreement, as Raoul climbed down from the walls, 'We'll get going once this is sorted. Who's in charge of them?'

'No one official,' replied Flyn, 'Though there was a woman who seemed to have been leading the escape before we pitched up.'

'Find her,' commanded Vanget.

When Flyndan appeared several minutes later with the refugees' leader, Kel felt her breath catch in her throat. Apart from being thinner, with more grey in her hair and a pinched expression on her face, Fanche Weir matched Kel's hazy, seven year old memory exactly.

Her sensible clothing was torn and sooty and her hands, the hands that Kel remembered being soft and yet firm from kneading bread were bloody and clutching a hunting spear marred by blood.

'Fanche?' Kel said before she could stop herself. Lined grey eyes honed in on Kel.

'Kel?' Raoul asked Kel, confused that his squire seemed to recognise the woman standing before them.

As Raoul spoke, a light of recognition and understanding dawned in Fanche's eyes.

'Kel,' she rasped. 'My Kel, after all this time?'

Kel nodded mutely, her throat too tight to speak.

'Come 'ere,' said Fanche roughly, as was the northern way.

Kel stumbled forward and was pulled tightly into an embrace. Even through the powerful smoky aroma that lingered on Fanche's woollen outfit, Kel could detect the sweet smell of bread that usually pervaded the Weir household. Fanche was smoothing the back of Kel's head.

'What is the meaning of this?' spluttered Vanget, apparently completely lost as to why a squire would be hugging a common villager.

Kel gently extracted herself from Fanche's embrace but kept a comforting grip on the shaking woman's arm.

'My lords,' she introduced, 'Fanche Weir of Goastrack village.'

'Are you the headwoman?' inquired Vanget.

'I am...I was the miller's wife.' Fanche corrected herself after a painful silence in which Kel squeezed her arm supportively. 'But I suppose, seeings how someone needs ta do it, yes, I'll speak for the village.'

'Is this all of you?' Kel almost winced at how blunt the question was.

'Allus left,' despite her grief, Fanche glared defiantly up at the brown-haired General.

'And what state did you leave your village in?'

'Twas all but burned to the ground.'

'Then you will remain under the protection of this fort until we can relocate you,' said Vanget haughtily. 'You will organise your people into that barrack there,' he pointed to Kel's lonely woman's barrack. 'We need to clear this area so that the men can ride out.'

'I'm going to find a mage who can contact nearby fiefdoms, see if we can't ship this lot off somewhere more convenient.' As he walked away, Fanche stared after him, not bothering to hide the hatred in her eyes.

'Bloody nobles,' she muttered. 'Not _convenient,_ eh? We know it's not bloody convenient, losing our homes and livelihoods in the middle of tha night...losing our family.'

'Fanche...' Kel's voice was gentle.

'Geran's dead too.' Said Fanche abruptly, harshly, as though saying it quickly made it less painful. 'And Fern, gutted as she tried ta save her little ones.'

'Layla?' asked Kel tentatively.

'She be alright I hope, moved away she did, four years back. Married a silver trader.'

'Oh good,' said Kel feebly. Sorrow filled her at the thought of soldiers slaughtering the family that had been so good to her. She couldn't help but wonder that maybe if she'd done something different...trained them more...

'Still, moping after the dead don't bring 'em back. You'll be telling me your story later missy, I got this here rabble to be sorting,' and squaring her shoulders she hustled back into the crowd, giving orders.

Kel watched her go, feeling upset.

'She's in shock,' said Wyldon quietly. 'It'll sink in eventually.'

'How'd you know her?' asked Raoul softly, moving to stand beside Kel as she watched the villagers.

'Her son,' Kel inhaled sharply, feeling the sting of grief at Geran's passing, 'Found me in the forest, maybe a day or so after I ran...' she trailed off. Raoul had heard her story before, but Wyldon hadn't. 'They were the family I stayed with for a while.'

Words couldn't really sum up all that Fanche had done towards healing Kel. How she'd let a quiet waif-like girl drift around her home until Kel was strong enough to talk again, to start rebuilding her life. Kel had often wondered what would've happened if she had been found by Raoul and his men; if she'd been taken to an infirmary and physically healed, left as a shell of the girl who'd been there before.

Now it looked like it was Fanche who needed the healing.

'Kel, we need to get riding and it's going to take nearly the whole company to spread out, assess the damage and flush out any remaining Scanrans. Can I trust you to stay here and organise arrangements for these refugees? You know how to talk to them and I really think they'll listen to you.'

Kel met Raoul's dark eyes and nodded, showing him that she understood that rather than just being left behind, that this was an important task even though it would be scorned by others.

Within half an hour, all but the twenty men who'd ridden out during the night had left Giantkiller, leaving Kel with her daunting task. She climbed halfway up one of the ladders pushed against the wall and shouted for the villagers' attentions.

'So I'm Kel, Squire Kel actually, and I'm to find you all a place to stay, just for now anyway. So if-'

'Y're just a lass, we not good enough for-'

'Shut it Daan,' said Fanche sharply. 'Kel's a family friend. She helped us before, when those raiders came. Now let her do her job.'

Kel sent a grateful look at Fanche because once the miller's wife had spoken, apart from a few mutterings, no one outwardly challenged her authority again. She had the horses un-tacked and stabled with those of the Own. She moved the families into the woman's barracks first, to ensure that they had beds. Kel unpacked some of the canvas company-issue tents and spread them on the floor in-between beds to create sleeping space. She moved her own possessions to Raoul's office to create another bed-space, thinking that she could always set up a pallet on the floor. The wounded were directed towards the infirmary and Kel spoke to the healer about temporarily moving some of the beds to another barracks. She set some of the younger men to fetching spare blankets from the supply cupboard and distributing them amongst the refugees.

Eventually, everyone had a place to at least lie down, if not move around very much. It was a start at least. Kel prayed that she wouldn't be assigned the task of sorting out food for the fifty-eight refugees.

She was taking a break from overseeing, and was leaning against the woman's barracks when Fanche found her.

'Squire Kel, eh?' she commented, her heavy-lidded eyes fixed on Kel's face, which was now at a higher level than her own.

Kel nodded, searching for her voice, thinking that it would be better that she came clean to the woman who'd taken her in.

'Keladry of Mindelan, squire to Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak.'

'A noble?' asked Fanche, surprise just visible over the grief clouding her eyes. Evidently she had never realised that squires, knights-in-training, would have to be noble.

Kel nodded, resigned. Fanche regarded her for a moment and then shook her head, 'You're far too sensible to be properly noble, must have some common blood in there somewhere.'

A laugh escaped from Kel before she could prevent it. To any other noble this would've been an insult, but to Kel, who knew Fanche, this was as good a compliment as could be asked for.

'I'm sorry,' said Kel. 'Maybe I should've told you who I was, but at the time being Keladry of Mindelan hadn't worked out very well for me. I wanted to be-'

'Just Kel,' interrupted Fanche, reminding Kel of her parting words.

'Exactly.'

'Then what, life as a commoner became too hard?'

This question stung Kel, but she reminded herself that Fanche had just been widowed and lost two of her children. She was amazed that Fanche was even calm enough to have this conversation.

'I travelled for three years, learning how to fight before I returned to Corus. They offered me a chance to re-enter my knight training.'

'And you took it.'

'I may be a good swordswoman, but I can't take on bands of raiders or Scanrans on my own.' Kel pointed out.

They lapsed into silence.

* * *

'That-' Raoul called the baron of Anak's Eyrie an extremely rude name. 'Of course he can't house sixty of his own people,' he snorted. 'It would put too much strain on his precious pursestrings.'

'Well we've got to put them somewhere whilst the Greenwoods camp is being built,' pointed out Flyndan from his position by the door. Wyldon and Vanget were seated, Raoul perched against his desk whilst Kel was sat cross-legged on a large trunk that housed most of the Company's paperwork. They had all gathered to discuss the future arrangements regarding the protection of the border.

'We'll get some woodworkers over here before snows come,' said Vanget, scratching his shortly cropped hair. 'Erect a new barracks with bunks to increase capacity. I'm sure we'll end up with more.'

'And I want Third Company, more specifically _you_-' he addressed Raoul, 'At fort Steadfast. Wyldon's going to take command of this district from Mastiff come spring. I need someone I have confidence in further west. Regular army will take over here.'

No one spoke for a moment, looking up to the maps pinned to the wooden walls of the office. It was a big border.

Raoul had told Kel privately, before Vanget and Wyldon had arrived, that he had a suspicion that they were going to have to relocate; a company of the Own could look after itself and didn't need to be sandwiched between Vanget and Wyldon's armies. What Raoul hadn't counted on was Vanget wanting them to make the move almost immediately.

'With any luck there's still a good two weeks before it starts to snow. The quicker you start to know your way around Steadfast, the better.'

Kel listened as the discussions continued for the better part of two hours, the three men deciding where to station the companies of the regular army. Kel hadn't realised how big the army actually was. According to Raoul, over the last six months men from garrisons around the country had been summoned north, many of them receiving extra training at one of several huge garrisons situated between Corus and the northern border.

When the meeting disbanded, Kel unrolled her bed roll. Luckily the office was warm from all the bodies that had previously occupied it, but all the same Kel did not bother to change into night things, merely tucking herself beneath the blankets.

Raoul shook his head exasperatedly at the sight of his squire settling down on the floor in the corner, bid Kel goodnight, and disappeared into his own sleeping quarters.

* * *

The ride to Steadfast, three days later, was not a pleasant affair. Even bundled up in as many layers as Kel could wear without completely impairing her movement, the wind was biting and shortly after midday the rain started to fall, lashing down in sheets.

'I bet Vanget's enjoying watching this godscursed weather from your office,' Flyndan growled.

'Well at least we're all getting a good soak,' said Raoul. 'I was beginning to wonder about when the last time some of you had washed.'

'You could've just thrown us in the Vassa milord, I think we'd be drier.' Kel pointed out.

'If this rain keeps up we might end up in the Vassa anyway,' said Quasim.

Over the sound of the downpour there was a low rumble of churning water that told them they were following the raging river westwards to Steadfast.

They returned to their own thoughts. About half an hour later Raoul commented, 'Well at least if it's raining here, it'll be snowing up in Scanra. The more snow that falls the safer we'll all be this winter.

Night came early now and had well and truly fallen by the time they reached Steadfast's towering walls. By the light of flickering torches they were admitted through iron-barred gates and a set of double walls into a space that was big enough to easily allow Third Company and all their mounts to assemble.

They were met by the fort's commander and were urged to stable their mounts in one of five huge barns fitted with individual stalls. They then walked for a good five minutes across more open space before coming to more barns, these ones housing bunks for the men themselves.

According to Captain Broadmarsh there were already two companies of the regular army in residence, as well as several rider groups and an assortment of regular knights tasked with protecting the border.

Raoul, soon to take over command of the fort, had rooms in the officer's quarters. Kel was to sleep in the barracks with the rider women, cooks, and female healers. Kel lugged her heavy packs towards the smaller shed, feeling bone-weary, every step through the mud an enormous effort.

Frozen fingers fumbled to open the door. Kel stepped into a room that was blessedly warm and stood for a moment, blinking dumbly around. Several women looked up on her arrival, riders judging by their brown uniforms. They were lounging on beds, talking amongst themselves, or rolling dice.

One woman, with brown bushy hair, put down the pair of breeches she was mending and half stood to get a good look at Kel.

Kel forced her legs forward woodenly, shivering in her sodden clothes.

'Who're you?' the lady asked in a lilting accent.

'Squire Keladry,' said Kel tiredly, stumbling a little. She found a free bed and sat down before her legs gave out on her.

'Squire to who?' asked someone else.

'Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak.' replied a third voice.

Kel was too tired to be surprised that they knew who she was. She pulled off her filthy boots and struggled out of her cloak and jacket. Exhaustedly she unrolled her bed mat, spread it on the roughly made wooden bed and placed Courage down on one side. Kel removed the rest of her sodden clothes, until she slipped a company-issue shirt that served as a nightshirt on over her underwear and practically collapsed into bed. She had the comforting feeling of being dragged downwards into her bed before sleep over took her.

'Should wake her?'

'No let the poor girl sleep.'

'But she needs to eat...'

'Just leave the food on-'

Voices filtered in slowly through Kel's sleep, so slowly that at first she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. Rather than her usual jerk upright, reaching for her sword, consciousness returned slowly and she opened her eyes, not moving her heavy limbs.

Three rider women were looking down from her bedside, one of them the curly haired woman who'd spoken to Kel earlier.

'We weren't sure whether or not you'd eaten,' said the lady kindly.

Kel shook her head and pushed herself into a sitting position, slightly dazed. 'My lord-' she started to say.

'Asked us to tell you that he's going to bed himself and that he doesn't want to see you until tomorrow morning,' said a black-haired rider, who was the youngest of the lot and was wrapped up warmly, despite the warmth of the barracks.

Kel relaxed back so that she was propped against the wall.

'Here,' the Rider with curly hair passed Kel a bowl that was still steaming.

Kel, who hadn't eaten anything more than a crust of bread in the saddle many hours previously accepted the stew gratefully, cradling it and letting the warmth seep into her hands.

The women introduced themselves as Kiera, with the curly hair, Dana, and Ros, the youngest of the trio.

'What group?' asked Kel thickly through a mouthful of hot stew.

'Dogs,' said Ros cheerfully, 'Arrows are here as well.'

Kel remembered that "Thayet's Dogs" were the sixth rider group and "Royal arrows" were the tenth.

'How long've you been posted here?'

'We replaced the Clouds and Rabbits about six weeks ago,' replied Dana sitting on the bed next to Kel's. 'It's nice to have a new face amongst the ranks.' Kel remembered the Clouds, having once hunted bandits with them.

'Who else is here? I heard that there were two companies of the regular army.'

'Them, us, now the Own and lots of lone knights, them woodworkers who's building stuff, quite a few mages, healers...A merry band,' said Ros.

Kel finished the stew and placed the bowl on the floor next to her bed.

'Here, we'll leave you to get some rest,' said Kiera with a meaningful look at Ros and Dana. Kel had the feeling that she was in charge of the Dogs. 'In the morning some of us'll show you round.'

'Thanks,' said Kel, feeling awkward. She slipped lower into her warm blankets and was asleep within seconds.

* * *

Steadfast was a lot larger than Giantkiller and was home to at least five hundred people. This made the whole place a lot more impersonal and meant that there were an awful lot of people whom Kel didn't know.

She spent a lot of her time helping Raoul in the fort's offices. Although there was a whole team of clerks dedicated to ensure the smooth running of the paperwork, Raoul liked to check everything through himself, telling Kel that it was his responsibility as commander of the fort.

Her knight-master also spent a lot of time planning and drawing up patrol lists. The most complicated part of this was assigning positions and groups to the lone knights who'd been sent to defend the border. Unlike the Own and Riders who were conveniently divided into squads or groups with a commanding officer, the regular army was more flexible in group size and often Raoul assigned one or two knights to join a group of regular soldiers. This system was fraught with complications; some knights would never have commanded groups before and Raoul didn't want to place too many men in the hands of an inexperienced noble when they had veteran commoners available to lead groups.

The politics of the process gave Kel a headache, and it was always a relief when Raoul dismissed her sometime in the early afternoon to go and practise her swordplay.

One of the unused barracks had been turned into a makeshift practice area, with all it's beds pushed aside. It was always hot and very rowdy in here, men cheering and egging each other on. Kel preferred to train somewhere quieter, even if it did mean having to brave the chill weather outside. She worked hard with the Own who had been given a rigourous training routine for the winter months by Raoul. The Knight Commander didn't want his men or their horses to lose fitness; it could prove fatal.

She rode Prince whenever she could, cantering for long distances and pushing him until sweat dripped from his heaving flanks. She pushed herself harder; running, fighting, practising drills over and over, building up her muscle with jumps and exercises, shooting with the Riders and hand-to-hand fighting with soldiers of the Own. Driven as ever by the thought of what was occurring further North, Kel was determined to be ready for whatever would arrive come Spring.

Although Kel spent most of her time with the Riders and the Own, Raoul occasionally joined the other knights at their tables in the mess hall. He clapped shoulders with old friends and shook hands with others. Kel was fascinated by the variation amongst the border knights. Some were young, barely older than herself and she recognised a couple from her brief spell as a page; Yancen of Irenroha and Balduin of Disart. Only a few knights had squires and most of them were old squires, at least sixteen or so. Kel supposed that no one wanted to bring a fourteen-year-old up to the front line. She spoke occasionally to Iden of Vikison Lake, a cousin of Owen's who she'd been introduced to before.

Kel was very intrigued to meet Raoul's only previous squire whom he'd taken on right after he'd passed the order of knighthood himself. Douglass of Veldine was a stocky man not much taller than Kel herself with an untidy mop of blonde hair streaked with a surprising amount of grey.

Kel liked him instantly. He not only treated her as a worthy choice of squire for Raoul but, to Raoul's displeasure, took great enjoyment in recounting stories of Raoul's youth. Kel struggled to imagine her knight-master, Sir Gareth of Naxen, the Lioness and the King running around as pages and squires, getting into trouble, being given punishment duties, kissing court ladies for dares and fighting over Lady Delia.

When Douglass started on the tale of a Giantess who'd fallen in love with Raoul once, Raoul threatened;

'If you don't stop sullying my Squire's ears with these tales then I'll be forced to have her fight you to defend my honour.'

Douglass chuckled, 'Fight me yourself you lazy hedgepig.'

'Oh but Kel's so much better at thrashing people than I am,' said Raoul matter-of-factly.

The blonde man's eyes widened slightly incredulously. Noticing this Raoul said quietly, 'She won the King's tournament three years ago Doug, and from what I hear gave Alanna the best challenge she's had since the Shang Dragon died.'

'The King's tournament,' breathed the knight. 'At the age of what, fifteen?' He looked impressed.

'Forgive me, Keladry,' he said. 'I've been at Dunlath protecting another strong-willed young lady for the last few years and have had very little news from the capital.'

'How is Lady Maura?' asked Raoul.

'Still refusing to leave her beloved fief to seek a husband in Corus,' Douglass sighed fondly. 'I've been organising the border protection in that area for the last few years but was reassigned here about four months ago.'

The conversation turned inevitably to the defence posts along the border and Kel, who'd just spotted someone familiar talking to a group of knights, excused herself.

She was so busy watching the knight in question that she walked right into someone.

'Excuse me, sir,' Kel apologised hastily, stretching her neck upwards to look into a face that was almost a foot higher than her own. She started, seeing a pair of familiar blue eyes and solid nose, set in an unfamiliar face.

'No problem,' said the Knight easily. He was just about to turn away when the question burst out of Kel.

'You aren't by any chance related to a Domitan of Masbolle, sir?'

'You know Dom?' he glanced down at the emblem on Kel's tunic. 'Ah you're Lord Raoul's squire aren't you. Been riding with the Own then?' Kel nodded. 'Yes he's one of my younger brothers. Is he here with you?'

'Yes Sir.'

'Would you let him know that I'm here?'

'I'd be happy to,' Kel assured the knight.

Dom's brother nodded. 'Tell him it's Greg.'

Kel bowed politely and then continued on her path towards the man she had initially been seeking, one of her own brothers.

'Sir Conal,' Kel tapped her brother's arm. 'May I have a word?'

Conal turned around, confusion written across his face.

'It's Kel,' said Kel quietly.

'Oh,' Conal's expression was difficult to read. 'Outside?'

They went to stand out in the cool November breeze, looking up at the heavily-laden clouds.

'How've you been?' Kel asked the brother that she hadn't seen for over eight years.

'I had been fine,' said Conal, narrowing his eyes at his youngest sister. 'Before you turned up.'

Kel realised that it had been a mistake to hope that Conal might've laid aside his grudge after eight years separation. The familiar expression of hatred was colouring his otherwise good-looking features.

'Do you realise how _embarrassing_ this is,' he hissed, 'Having to serve alongside my_ sister_? If you do _anything_ to-' he lunged for Kel, grabbing her by her shirt collar and smashing her against the outside wall. Kel's head smacked hard into the wood and for a moment she saw stars dance in front of her vision. Once her head cleared, she reacted without hesitation. She drove her fist into Conal's stomach, hard, and with a grunt he released his grip on her. Then it was her turn to grab him and slam him into the wall. She immobilised her brother by an arm across his throat, pressing firmly on his windpipe.

'I'm not four years old anymore Conal,' she said angrily, 'You can't dangle me over a balcony to scare me into obeying you. I'll do whatever I want and there's nothing you, or your little conservative friends can do about it.'

'Kel?' Raoul's voice was shocked.

Kel stepped backwards, releasing her brother. 'I'm done with you.' She turned to her knight-master, her expression mutinously blank.

Raoul beckoned her over to his office, not wanting to confront her in public.

'Who was that?'

'One of my brothers.' Said Kel shortly, as she stepped over the door frame into Raoul's brightly-lit quarters.

'Kel,' said Raoul sharply, 'You're bleeding.'

Kel lifted her hand to her throbbing head and it came away wet and sticky with blood.

'You need to go and see a healer,' said Raoul instantly.

'No, I'm fine,' said Kel, wiping her bloody fingers on her breeches.

'Here,' Raoul steered her to a chair.

His large callused fingers carefully parted her hair and probed at the injury. Kel breathed in sharply and tensed, waiting for him to finish.

'It's not too deep,' concluded Raoul. 'Head wounds tend to bleed a lot at first though,' he disappeared into another room and reappeared moments later clutching some clean dressings.

'Here, hold this to your head until the bleeding slows.'

Kel did as she was told.

'Kel,' said Raoul, very seriously. 'Did your brother do that to you?'

Kel avoided looking at her knight-master and said, very carefully, 'Conal and I have never seen eye-to-eye. I thought maybe after a long period of separation we would've resolved our differences. It appears I was mistaken. But he won't be bothering me again, my Lord.'

'No he won't,' said Raoul darkly.

'Please, don't say anything to him,' begged Kel. 'I've sorted it out. If I stay out of his way it'll be fine.'

Raoul considered his squire for a moment before giving in and agreeing not to step into the matter unless Conal raised a hand to Kel again.

* * *

The snow began to fall the day after the incident with Conal and kept falling until the fort was well and truly covered. Midwinter was a simple affair. No one had had any chance to go gift shopping so presents were limited to what could be made within the fort itself.

Kel gave Raoul a flag that she'd embroidered herself with the Goldenlake emblem. When the weather became milder it could fly high above Steadfast as a sign of Raoul's command. In return she received a pair of warm mittens that Raoul had made for her out of the material of an old waterproof coat.

There was a tourney held over the festive period, but to Raoul's surprise, Kel didn't enter. Kel wasn't sure why she was so reluctant to fight but she was fed up of having to prove herself in front of large crowds, fed up of drawing so much attention to herself. Her focus was on Scanra, and the year that awaited them all.

* * *

Wow that was an effort. Written paragraph by paragraph over four weeks!

Regarding the reunion between Kel and Fanche; I know a lot of you wanted Fanche's family to all be saved etc. etc. but I always try to keep things as realistic as possible, and really, a few staff lessons six years ago, wouldn't have helped Fanche to save her whole family... Sorry :( Also I hope that the Fanche I wrote this chapter is somewhere between the nice friendly mother that we first met and the bitter woman of Lady Knight. We will meet Fanche again in a couple of chapters and maybe she and Kel can have more of a chat when she's got over the shock of losing most of her family ;D

Please, please review! We're now launching into one of the most exciting phases of the story -full out Scanran war, and with Kel stationed at Steadfast she's going to be in the thick of it!

**Confusedknight** xxx


	69. Green

-a/n- Hey all! Here's quite a long chapter for you. Maybe slightly filler-ish, although most definitely necessary and hopefully enjoyable anyway. I hope you're all making the most of the last days of summer! I've been working on a dairy farm recently which has left me absolutely exhausted! I'm off to a pig farm next week which doesn't have quite such long hours and I'm hoping for some quicker updates.

After carefully reading all of your lovely book recs :D I ordered the most frequently mentioned; The City of Bones, Storm front, The deed of Paksnarrion and Graceling. The books only arrived yesterday and I've already finished the first two, finding both very enjoyable. When my limited student funds allow I shall order some more.

I should probably mention here that I have stolen one of Tamora Pierce's lines in this chapter. (Dom's comment to Neal) ...I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. It's one of my favourites and I couldn't think up a wittier alternative!

Thanks for your continued enthusiasm for Fallen. I've four weeks left before term starts. Let's see how much I can get finished, eh?

**Confusedknight xx**

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The clash of metal blades meeting over and over was dulled and absorbed by the trampled snow blanketing the ground around the two fighters. Raoul's first squire was doing a good job at fending off the current squire's attacks. It didn't take long however before Kel used her more advanced arsenal of moves and force her sword through the solid defence to the Douglass of Veldine's neck.

'Mithros! You _are_ good.' Said Douglass stepping back, panting.

Kel nodded her head politely at the compliment. She swung her sword arm experimentally, pulling a face slightly as she stretched out her arm.

'Mind if I join you?' asked Raoul.

Kel turned, startled. It was unusual to see Raoul outside at this time. When Kel had left him last he was fully immersed in paperwork.

'I can't bear it in there any longer,' said Raoul by way of explanation, each word causing furls of steam to appear in the still air. 'The dispatches can wait until this evening.'

'Of course they can,' said Douglass jovially. 'Some fresh air will do you good. Besides, I want you to fight Kel here. Are you sure she's not related to Alanna?'

Whilst Raoul warmed up, Kel busied herself stretching. She sheathed her sword and bent herself over backwards until her hands touched her ankles. From this position it was easier to "walk over" until she was back on her feet again. She then stretched forward, dropping her head to her knees and placing her palms flat on the floor. She bounced up and down a couple of times, deepening the stretch. Straightening up Kel shook out her legs and jogged up and down on the spot, keeping her muscles warm despite the freezing air temperature.

'Ready?' Raoul asked, unsheathing his massive sword.

Kel nodded, feeling the familiar tingle of anticipation that usually preceded a fight.

Raoul started off with a simple pass, one which Kel met easily and twisted her blade around to form her own attack. This was only a practice duel so they let the tempo increase slowly. When they were at a reasonable pace, both fighters started to use more complex sequences of moves. For now at least they were evenly matched; Raoul's massive strength and extra height compensating for Kel's rapid footwork.

Kel was the first one to nearly finish the duel, with a jab quickly reversed into a move Alex had called the grass-cutter simply because it was aimed so low. Raoul hurriedly blocked and leapt back with an agility impressive for a man of his size.

A few blows later, Raoul used one of the moves that Kel had taught him. Combined with his strength it was very effective and forced Kel to skip to the side and use a large amount of effort to swing her blade back around.

The duel continued on, and although Kel tried to push it into a faster pace, Raoul refused to be intimidated and kept the duel on his terms. Kel swung her sword, hesitated for a split second and then decided to try out a new attack sequence that she'd been practising.

Barely two moves in, Raoul's sword smacked into hers at such an angle and with such a force that Courage was smashed out of her hand; had she held on to her weapon her wrist would likely have shattered and Kel had no desire to repeat that injury.

Straightening up, Kel smiled at her knight-master. 'Well fought, my Lord.' Raoul hadn't bothered to step in to hold her at sword point.

Douglass was clapping. 'That was _brilliant_, both of you. Raoul, how did you know just how to judge that last shot?'

Raoul grinned sheepishly at Kel. 'You have been practising that move for the last week, and I've had the advantage of watching you from my office.' He clapped her on the shoulder, 'I don't think you need to worry unless you go and practise all of you moves for hours on end in front of the Scanrans.'

'You sly old dog!' exclaimed Douglass. 'And there was me thinking that you'd developed previously undiscovered skills with a blade.'

'Even though he knew the move it would still have taken lots of skill to place your blade like that,' said Kel fairly, speaking up for her knight-master.

Raoul clapped her on the shoulder, 'You're definitely my favourite squire,' he chuckled.

When Kel returned to the barracks, she was about to call out a greeting when she noticed the sombre expressions on every face, the heavy atmosphere. Kel walked over to her belongings, trying not to intrude.

Ros was sat on her bed, crying softly and being comforted on either side by two other Riders. Kiera, group commander of Dogs was pacing up and down.

'We _told_ you no good would come of it,' Kiera burst out suddenly. 'We _warned _you.'

Ros's sobbing increased.

'Kiera,' said Dana harshly. 'That's not helping.'

'No, she's bloody too late to help,' replied Kiera, uncharacteristically angry.

'There's no use crying over what's done,' said one of the older women comforting Ros, 'And shouting about it won't help either.'

'I'm sorry,' hiccuped Ros. She lifted her face to look at Kiera and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. 'I'm so, so sorry.'

Kiera's expression softened slightly. 'Well you're not entirely to blame. And I'll be having words with Stephan, sharp words.' She sighed and ran her hands distractedly through her curly hair. 'Well we may as well get this mess sorted out as quickly and as quietly as possible. We'll have to go and see Lord Raoul.' Kiera looked around. 'Kel do you know where he is?'

'He's gone to see some of the knights soon to depart for Fraslund,' said Kel, fiddling with a loose thread on her cuff.

'Can you ask him to meet us in his office as soon as possible? It's urgent.'

'I can relay the message,' said Kel, getting to her feet.

'Thank you.' Kiera turned to Ros, 'Pull yourself together girl. Like Helan says, what's done is done, no use crying.'

Still completely clueless as to what was going on, Kel trotted off to find her knight-master.

When she and a rather baffled Raoul returned to his office, Kiera and the puffy-eyed Ros were already waiting outside. Kel hovered by the door as the others entered, her expression questioning. When she caught Raoul's eye, he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Kel pulled the door shut and walked slowly back to the barracks.

'What did Lord Raoul say?' The question burst from several of the riders as Kel stepped inside, stamping her boots to remove clumps of snow.

'I don't know,' Kel replied. 'They've only just gone in to speak to him.'

'She'll be sent away for sure,' commented a grey-eyed Rider.

'That's the best we can hope for,' replied someone else. 'And hopefully no disciplinary action will be taken.'

'Kel, our Lord's alright, isn't he?' asked Dana anxiously. 'He wouldn't punish her would he?'

'My Lord is a good man,' said Kel firmly. 'Whatever's happened he'll judge her fairly.'

'She's with child,' blurted out Dana.

Several hisses came from other members. 'What?' demanded Dana, 'She'd have found out soon anyway.'

Kel reeled with shock, the previous conversations suddenly making sense.

'And it's Stephen's?' Kel thought to the handsome green-eyed Rider who was second-in-command of the Royal arrows.

'That's what she says,' gabbled Dana, wringing her hands. 'We warned her to be careful getting involved with another Rider. And now she's going to be sent back to Corus, probably discharged from the Riders. She's got no family Kel, who's she going to turn to with all us up here in the north?' Dana's bright eyes were filled with worry.

Silence reigned until twenty minutes later, Kiera and Ros returned.

Sniffling, Ros addressed the eleven other Riders and Kel. 'I'm to return to Corus with one of the first dispatches and reports. My Lord says he'll write a letter to Commander Buriram explaining the...situation. He says it's up to her if I can stay in the Riders.'

Dana immediately went to Ros and embraced her tightly.

'Lord Raoul wishes to speak with you,' whispered Kiera in Kel's ear, not disturbing the others who had come together to comfort and support their comrade.

When Kel entered the study Raoul had his head in his hands. Exhaling deeply he sat up.

'What a mess.' He said simply.

'I know,' Kel agreed. 'Will she be kicked out of the Riders?'

'I'm going to draft a letter to Buri,' replied Raoul. 'She's dealt with a couple of situations like this before. Usually they can rejoin the Riders if they so wish once they've had the child. They can't be seen to be part of the Riders whilst pregnant, it would damage the Riders' reputation.'

Kel looked sharply at Raoul, 'Lady Alanna was still a knight whilst she was pregnant. Did that detract from the reputation of all the other knights?

'No, I didn't mean it like that,' said Raoul, running a massive hand through his curly hair.

'And what about the father?' asked Kel in an unusually aggressive tone, 'Is he being discharged until the babe is born?'

Raoul shook his head tiredly. 'Even if we could prove beyond all doubt who it was, I really can't spare any able fighter.'

'But you can spare a woman fighter?'

'Kel would you honestly have me sent a pregnant woman onto a battle field?' Raoul said sharply, 'And with you knowing better than anyone what we are likely to be facing this summer.'

Kel recoiled slightly from her knight-master's anger.

Hazel eyes stared at coal black ones for a few moments.

'I'm sorry, Kel' replied Raoul, 'I'm tired, tired and fed up of dealing with all of the quibbles and intricacies of running a fort. It's making me grouchy. Most days I wish it was just back to us and Third Company.'

* * *

Just before Kel left, she instructed Ros to seek out Lalasa in Corus. She also wrote a hurried letter to her seamstress friend, asking her to offer Ros a place to stay and to pay for any of the Rider's needs out of the portion of money that Lalasa insisted on saving for Kel.

On the day that Ros left, Raoul also received a new set of dispatches from both Lord Wyldon and General Vanget. Most contained detailed plans for the stationing of Steadfast's warriors. These lists had been drawn up by Raoul, sent to the General and had now been approved or altered depending on how Vanget wished to place the soldiers and knights at other forts.

Kel had just read a plan for two squads of the regular army to guard the Greenwoods camp.

'Greenwoods? Isn't that the refugee camp?' She asked.

Raoul nodded, not looking up from the lengthy report he was reading.

'Who's in command there?'

'At the moment a-,' Raoul checked on of the many bits of paper littering his desk, 'Captain Elbridge. Soon to be replaced by Douglass.'

'Sir Douglass?' said Kel, impressed. 'I didn't know he was a commander.'

'Well he's not, strictly speaking.' Raoul sighed and cricked his neck. 'Most people would consider Greenwoods a dungheap of an assignment. Most of the new first year knights are stationed there,' he tossed the list to Kel. 'But Douglass is fair and has spent many years working alongside commoners and more usefully, civilians. He's also not one of those thick-heads who long to be part of the biggest battle around. I trust him to do a good job.'

Kel ran her eyes down the list, names jumping out at her. Duke Baird and Neal were to be the healers, Sir Merric to be Douglass's second-in-command. Seaver, also now a Sir, was to be in charge of the defensive force. Kel's stomach gave a funny jolt at seeing all of her page year mates now labelled as Knights of the Realm. She had fought for so long with Alex to delay the war, to make sure that her friends _were_ knights, trained for battle. Now that they were, she could no longer protect them. They'd be facing the same enemy that Kel had been fighting since she was twelve years old.

For a moment she allowed herself to imagine that she hadn't been kicked out, that she was newly-knighted too and was travelling up to the border to receive her first assignment. She wondered what it would've been...After about thirty seconds of this folly, Kel dragged herself back to the present and continued to draw up the lists she'd been working on.

Several minutes later, Kel could feel Raoul's eyes upon her and she looked up, gaze querying.

'What is it, my Lord?'

Raoul was a few seconds in answering. 'Would you like to accompany Douglass to the Greenwoods camp?'

'I thought you couldn't leave the fort?' asked Kel, confused.

'I can't, but you might be able to. It's a bit unorthodox, but you could travel there with him, I'm sending a squad of Third Company too. You wouldn't be there for more than six weeks.'

'I'd like to go, Sir,' said Kel earnestly, 'But surely I shouldn't leave you because there's so little to do?'

'The thing is, Kel. That refugee camp could benefit a lot from you. Doug could benefit a lot from your help. You're good with people Kel, commoners in particular. You know the Goastrack lot. You also know the first year knights. You need to help them see that if this camp is to work then they've _got_ to work together. There's not more than thirty properly trained men assigned to protect this camp. They'll be convicts, farmers and other civilians that have never picked up a weapon before in their life. You obviously learnt the sword incredibly quickly-' Raoul smiled, 'Not that I'm expecting you to turn them all in to matchless warriors in six weeks, but a basic, thorough knowledge of the blade can save lives.'

Kel let this information wash over her. Raoul was right; she could be a help to this newly built camp.

* * *

Kel swung herself up onto Prince's familiar back and leaned down, reins in one hand, to tighten up the girth.

'Ready?' asked Douglass, appearing alongside Kel.

'Yes, sir.'

'Good,' the knight hand-signalled the rest of Dom's squad to fall into line. 'Onwards to new adventures, eh?' And with a brisk chop of his hand down, they rode out.

'If you get yourselves killed, I'll never speak to you again!' Raoul called after them.

'Goodbye, my Lord,' said Kel, surprised to find that she was going to miss the large man who'd become almost a father to her.

'Always full of helpful advice,' muttered Sir Douglass, nodding to the sergeants at the gate as they passed.

Dom was waving to his brother who was up on the wall of the fortress to see them off.

'It's been nice to see Greg,' he told Kel. 'Haven't seen him since I joined the Own. One of my favourite brothers.'

'How many do you have?' asked Douglass.

'Four older ones, three of whom are knights and one younger one. And an older sister,' he added as an afterthought.

'Gods, I imagine your house was chaotic as you all grew up.'

Dom grinned, 'We used to steal the wooden practise swords from the armoury and stage epic battles in the entrance hall and up the staircase. It was even better when our cousins were visiting. Sometimes our Grandfather would recount some of his greatest battles and then we'd re-enact them. Once we even kidnapped our older sister and held her hostage for my older brothers to rescue.' He smiled, leaning back in his saddle. 'Oh those were the days.'

'What about you Kel?' inquired the knight, 'Did you have a big family.'

'Oh yes,' said Kel, sighing. 'I've four older sisters and four older brothers. I'm the baby of the family. Most of them are quite a bit older than me.'

'Yes, I've met a couple of your brothers. I served alongside Anders in the Immortals war, and I met, Conal is it, the other day.'

'One of your brothers was at the fort?' asked Dom, surprised that Kel hadn't mentioned it.

'Mmm,' said Kel, her expression suddenly becoming fixed. 'Conal and I don't get on very well.'

'Why not?'

'Conal's always liked pushing people around,' explained Kel. 'He used to do it to the village boys, people who couldn't retaliate. Then one day he dangled me over the balcony of one of our towers because I wouldn't do what he said. Papa was so angry when he found out that he threatened to disown Conal.' Kel sighed. 'He's hated me ever since.'

'Well, he seems to have found himself a bunch of conservative friends to replace your company,' said Douglass disapprovingly.

Kel shrugged, wishing they'd change the conversation. In her eyes she had one real, true, brother and he was currently fighting for the freedom of an enslaved nation. She realised, with a jolt, that it was approaching nearly five years since she'd last seen Alex.

The ride to the Greenwoods camp took the better part of a day. Kel's first glimpse of the camp showed her a log palisade, only two thirds the height of Steadfast's walls and placed on a slight rise, amongst snow-laden pine trees. At the base of the high grown was the Greenwoods river, it's ice beginning to crack so that the sound of rushing water could be heard beneath it.

'Home sweet home,' sighed Douglass, raising a small horn to call out the signal for "friends".

The band of twelve made their way over the single, stout wooden bridge, Kel observing the mage blasts positioned on it's underside. They trotted briskly up the sloping, slightly winding road and through gates, pitifully thin compared to Steadfast's iron-enforced ones and into the expanse of churned mud and ice that constituted the Greenwoods camp.

Unlike the tidy, organised forts that Kel had stayed in previously, this place was a mess of woodwork; half-completed buildings, a shack that served for a guard house and hastily-constructed pens containing livestock. At the far end there were a couple of completed buildings, their rooves heavily-laden with snow. Kel presumed that the one to her right was stables and that others were simply barracks. Men were attempting to dig more latrines out of the rock-hard soil, their faces pink and chapped with cold.

'These northern woodworks work _fast_,' commented Douglass as they all dismounted. 'When I stopped by here last autumn, the wall wasn't even half built.' He looked around. 'It was also a lot smaller if I recall.'

'That would be the mage Salmalin, Sir,' said a gruff voice. 'Said but a few words he did, and the ground it rose up. Unnatural like.'

'Captain Elbridge?' Douglass and the whiskery captain shook hands.

'This is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle and his squad, from Third Company of the King's Own,' introduced Douglass, 'And this is Squire Keladry of Mindelan, whose service has been loaned to me by Lord Raoul of Goldenlake.'

Captain Elbridge shook hands with Dom and nodded shortly to Kel. He evidently didn't think much of squires-on-loan, or more specifically lady squires.

'How many are currently in residence?' Asked the knight as they led their horses over to some of the empty stables.

The Captain thought for a moment. 'About forty soldiers, half of them convicts from the mines. And mayhap fifty refugees, fifteen other woodworkers and craftsmen under the employ of the crown. Once these snows melt though, they'll come pouring in. Plenty are at Giantkiller and even more sheltering in neighbouring fiefs who'll kick them out come spring.'

Once their horses were carefully seen to, the men picked up their packs and were shown to their sleeping quarters. Kel's presence complicated matters. At the moment there were only three completed barracks; one for the refugees, another which currently housed the soldiers, and a smaller, guard house which the men of the Own were to sleep in. This meant that all three housed men.

'You could sleep with the refugees in that mixed barrack, or just lump in with us,' suggested Douglass apologetically.

Kel chose to sleep in the guard house, not caring for her reputation and knowing that no one in Dom's squad would behave inappropriately.

Kel spent the evening helping Douglass, Dom and Captain Elbridge to draw up more plans. Douglass wanted the mess hall finished as a priority, seconded by the creation of more latrines and the beginnings of a headquarters. He also wanted to begin regular evening drills, not only for the soldiers, but also all able-bodied civilians.

With twelve extra pairs of hands, all willing to aid construction, and with a spell of slightly warmer weather the mess hall was soon completed. Kel, although her carpentry skills left much to be desired, was set to helping some of the refugees to saw and nail together beds, and to cut blankets for their hard wooden beds.

In the evening, whilst he drew up rotas and surveilled the area, Douglass planned to have Kel, aided by Dom's squad to set up the drills. The soldiers had weapons of their own, but the twenty or so civilian volunteers turned up armed with stout wooden staffs and swords.

'You want _her_ to teach us?' one grizzled soldier cried in outrage, 'How are we to learn anything from a lass young enough to be me granddaughter!'

'Who's the finest swordsman among you?' asked Douglass in a ringing voice.

Eventually a man, about thirty-years-old was pushed forward. His face was dark with stubble and his arms bulged unpleasantly.

Douglass set them up in a duel which Kel won easily after only three minutes of medium-paced fighting. She didn't even break a sweat.

'In the future I'd ask you to trust my judgement,' said the camp's commander coolly. He addressed the gathered men as a whole, 'I will swear to you now, by Mithros himself, that I will do everything within my power to keep this camp safe, to protect those who've lost their homes. To do this I need your unwavering loyalty. We have strong walls-' he gestured to the barricade that enveloped the camp, 'Built by the finest of woodworkers. And stout hearts to defend them. Together we will resist the Scanrans.'

Several men nodded in agreement, approving whispers running through the gathered crowd. Douglass nodded to Kel.

'I think the easiest way to do this will be to split you into groups of ten and have you each practise at separate times,' Kel spoke confidently, not letting her voice display her nerves.

And so began weeks where Kel rose with the sun, snuck out of the barracks she was sharing with Dom and his squad and practised on her own in the still, frosty air. She would then eat, and begin a morning labouring, helping to make crude wooden furniture. In usually spent the afternoons with Douglass, mostly helping with supplies because the friendly knight hated mathematics. Occasionally they would go for rides through the woodland, surveying the area around the fort. With every passing day the landscape was becoming ever browner, the snow melting and trickling down into the churning Greenwoods river.

She would then spend late afternoon and evening running sword drills and instructing until her voice was hoarse. She pushed her men hard, in the same fashion that she had been taught. It took a couple of weeks for the improvements to really start to surface but as the men realised just how much they had learnt they brought a whole new level of enthusiasm to the training and practised even when Kel didn't have time to supervise them.

As enjoyable as Kel found teaching, it was draining work. She would often have to demonstrate or fight against individuals until they understood a particular move. The rest of the time was spent calling out instructions or correcting technique's verbally. She had to have eyes for, and make time for, everyone.

They had one night a week off from training and it was during this time that often a giant fire would be lit, and stories would be told and songs would be sung. Kel enjoyed the camaraderie that accompanied these weekly events and could often be persuaded into leading a song or two.

In early April, as Kel was giving the women a midday staff lesson she heard a trumpet call. Her heart leapt even though she recognised the signal for a friend. Abandoning her pupils, she jogged over to the wall and climbed monkey-like up the ladder and onto the wall. She could see a train of mounted people and wagons making it's steady way up the road towards them. It was rare that Greenwoods had visitors and Kel wondered if this was a batch of refugees being shunted over to their camp.

Kel squinted against the late morning sun, those were knights riding at the head of the train. She could make out different coloured shields. The guards at the gate were shouting, bolts were being lifted and the gates opened, welcoming the newcomers.

When they were twenty metres away Kel began to recognise the riders and her face broke into a true grin. Lanky, even though he was seated on a large horse, Neal was there in front of her, as plain as day. To his left rode the red-headed Merric of Hollyrose and to his right, a greying Duke Baird and Seaver of Tasride. Lord Wyldon and his squire Owen, who was looking a lot less chubby these days -a mark of the hardship of a winter spent in the North, also formed part of the band.

She waved from the wall and was spotted first by Merric who returned the wave enthusiastically. He nudged Neal, who looked up from his conversation. Neal's face broke into a handsome grin and in that moment Kel saw clearer than ever the similarities between Dom and Neal.

As the party filed through Greenwood's gates, Kel half climbed, half jumped down from the wall. Fresh mud spattered up her already filthy breeches as she did so. The inside of the camp resembled a vast pit of churned mud. Calve-high boots protected most people from the worst of the muck, but all the same most people had given up trying to remain clean and dry.

'Welcome,' she cried, hurrying over to the party.

Neal dismounted and immediately sank several inches into the bog. Kel stopped in front of him, suddenly hesitant about how she should great her old friend. Neal had no such qualms and pulled her into a tight hug, thumping her back delightedly. 'We didn't know you were posted here!' he exclaimed.

'Only temporarily,' explained Kel as Neal released her. 'There wasn't much for me to do at Steadfast.'

'Raoul kindly loaned her to me,' said a voice that Kel recognised as Douglass's. 'Welcome to our humble abode.' He bowed to the newcomers.

Kel made the introductions but let Douglass lead them on a tour of the camp; she needed to get back to her trainees. When she saw them leaving the last building, she wrapped up her lesson, extremely pleased at how even some of the older women were progressing.

'Think you can find your way around?' she grinned cheekily at her friends.

'Find my way around, yes,' replied Seaver. 'Lead a defending force...I feel about as ready for this as a page on his first day at the palace.'

Kel smiled, and was just about to reply when a voice proclaimed; 'Mithros save us, they'll allow just any freak of nature up here, won't they?' Dom and his squad had evidently returned from their tree-felling expedition.

Dom was covered in even more mud than Kel; so much so that she could barely see the uniform that declared him part of the King's Own. Despite being mud-splattered his face was split in a broad grin. He dismounted from Thief easily and handed the reins to Wolset so he could come over and greet his cousin.

They hugged, Neal protesting slightly as his taller cousin shared some of the muck from his clothes. Dom then stuck out his hand to meet Merric and Seaver.

'Have they sent you here to make sure Meathead doesn't hurt himself?' joked Dom, shaking their hands.

'Something like that,' replied Seaver, dodging out of the way of Neal's elbow.

'You wound me!' declared Neal dramatically. 'Anyway, it's _Sir _Meathead now, you mud-covered barbarian.'

'Some of us have been hard at work whilst you spent Midwinter cozied up in the Palace,' retorted Dom, slinging an arm around Kel. 'Come on fellow savage, real work to be done.'

They walked together for a dozen metres, Kel tingling at Dom's touch before she escaped his embrace, not wanting them to appear overly friendly. She spent the next couple of hours unloading the logs alongside Dom's squad and some civilian helpers. By the time the last log was stored away, even Kel's well-muscled arms were aching. She then had struggle through four hours of swordplay coaching before she was allowed to stagger to the mess hall for some food.

When she entered she was torn as to who to sit with. She usually supped with her civilian friends or Dom's squad but tonight all of her old friends, together with Douglass and Duke Baird were sat at a table separate from the other soldiers and civilians. When she noticed that Dom was seated next to Neal she supposed she ought to join the nobles at their table, even just for one night.

Douglass nodded at her as she sat down on the bench next to Seaver.

'Where've you been?' demanded Neal.

'Training,' replied Kel shortly, helping herself to a large plate of potato and stew.

'Kel's been training our defensive forces in swordplay,' Douglass explained to the table as a whole.

Suddenly everyone was looking at her and Kel fought not to blush. She shrugged, pouring herself some juice, 'I know a fair bit about swordplay.'

The conversation turned to what was happening in the south; Douglass keen to hear any news other than what was going on the border. Kel was surprised and disappointed to hear that Roald and Shinko's wedding had been postponed; the couple had been getting on so well and it would've increased the Realm's moral to have a new princess.

'How's life been up here?' asked Seaver, slightly nervously.

'Recently, cold and muddy,' replied Kel through a mouthful of potato. 'Haven't seen the enemy since October.'

'What were they like last summer?' asked Merric interestedly. He had been serving on the Eastern border with his knight-master and hadn't faced any Scanrans yet. Kel looked up to see three sets of eyes upon her.

'They're tough,' said Owen uncharacteristically seriously. _He's grown up_ thought Kel suddenly, _the war has changed him. '_We've seen a couple of these metal devices, killing machines,' he shuddered. 'We'd best pray they haven't got many of them.'

'There was one at the silver mines wasn't there?' Dom asked Kel. She glared at him, but it was too late, the others were suddenly looking at her questioningly.

'Didn't you get shot at the silver mines?' interrupted Neal, screwing up his eyes slightly as he tried to remember.

'Yep,' said Dom, scooping up a particularly large potato, 'But the machine attacked at Kel's end.'

'End?'

'We were protecting a gully,' he explained. 'Raoul and most of the company were up one end facing a good number of Scanrans and a couple of giants whilst Kel and the one squad she was commanding held back about forty armed barbarians and this huge metal monster.'

The green knights were now looking at her with a slightly awed expression.

'Dom neglects to mention that it was only through sheer luck that we weren't all chopped to pieces,' snapped Kel.

The atmosphere had turned heavy so suddenly that a few minutes later Kel forced herself to say; 'But that was the worst of it, most of the time it's just hit-and-run raids on villages, or fighting back small bands at several points along the border.'

* * *

Wyldon and Owen rode on to fort Mastiff in the morning, leaving the three new knights and the Duke under the command of Douglass. Neal and Duke Baird got swiftly to work in the infirmary and Seaver and Merric entered into discussions with Douglass about the general defence and battle plans.

As they did so Kel felt slightly left out. It was silly, she knew, but now Douglass had his second-in-command and a defence captain he no longer needed Kel's opinion every afternoon. Both healers were up to their eyes in work, checking over all of the soldiers, convicts and civilians, lost in tasks Kel couldn't help them with. She found herself spending increasing amounts of time with Dom and his squad. Although Kel was still sleeping in their barracks no one made a fuss over it anymore. She enjoyed the late evenings propped up on her bed, listening and occasionally joining in with the men's banter.

Couriers came on a weekly basis now, bringing reports for Douglass from all the other forts and commonly a quick message for Kel from Raoul. Although he never said as much, he hinted that she would be returning to Steadfast before too long. Secretly, Kel was looking forward to it. She felt her usefulness at the camp was decreasing daily. And she missed her large, cheery knight-master.

One afternoon, she was grooming Prince when she heard shouts from the walls. Sword drawn she sprinted up a narrow staircase and up onto the walkway. Heart thumping, she watched as a line of wagons, lead by a large man atop a piebald horse, drew closer.

'I want a mage up 'ere _now,' _bellowed the watch-sergeant. 'It could be an illusion.'

Callum, a mage from Dom's squad quickly verified the identity of the rider. His eyes watering from the power of the magic, he told the watch-sergeant, 'It's no illusion. And judging by the magnitude of those protective enchantments that'd be Master Numair Salmalin.'

The group was granted entry to the camp and Kel watched with interest as the refugees began to unload their wagons. She could see several Goatstrack villagers milling about and presumed that these refugees had just come from Giantkiller. Maybe she'd find Fanche later.

'Kel,' Douglass beckoned her down.

She sheathed her sword and climbed carefully down from her vantage point.

'Will you take these dispatches to my office, please?' requested Douglass. 'The top one is from Raoul. He wants you and Sergeant Domitan back to Steadfast within the week. They received an attack from a two-hundred strong band of warriors a couple of days ago, with reports that Maggur's moving armies down to besiege all the forts.' Kel swallowed hard and nodded. She knew the kind of armies Maggur was capable of amassing.

Trotting off she placed the reports and messages on Douglass's desk so that he could read them later, in peace.

They were still unloading wagons an hour or so later when a trumpeted alarm came from the ramparts. Kel knew almost immediately that this was the real thing. Reacting without pause, she dropped the pile of blankets she was holding back onto the cart and dashed to the stable. Her armour was positioned on a shelf in Prince's stall, ready for immediate use. It took under two minutes to slip into the mail, buckle on her breastplate, strap up the wristguards and fit the helmet snugly onto her head.

All around men were running into the stables. Expertly Kel fitted the saddle and bridle. Prince, sensing the urgency stood stock still and let Kel work quickly. She swung into the saddle, and kicked Prince forward, ducking as they exited the stable.

The rest of Dom's squad were equally quick off the mark and the eleven of them gathered at the gate, their war horses all stamping impatiently. The regular army soldiers were assembled on foot. Douglass came hurrying over, armed and ready, but without his mount.

Kel could see the first year knights all still struggling to get into their armour and ready their horses; she doubted whether they'd ever had to scramble in quite the same way as the Own was used to.

'Dom take the lead out there, I'll command from the wall. Don't get too involved until we know what we're dealing with. Sir Merric and Sir Seaver are on their way.'

'Right boys, let's go,' said Dom, his face set.

The gate was open and Kel felt the adrenalin kick in as they galloped down the road into the oncoming enemy. Courage was a whirl of tempered steel, snaking past Scanran defences and plunging into flesh over and over. The enemy were coming thick and fast until, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Merric leading foot-soldiers to their aid. She could hear arrows whizzing over her head, the work of archers stationed on the ramparts.

Dom called for a regroup and Kel whirled Prince around so fast that he half-reared before charging back up the road with the other horses.

There was evidence of a magical battle going on as well; strange grey fog which had started to creep across the battlefield was quickly blasted away and several Scanrans dropped dead, seemingly without cause.

Piercing screams alerted Kel to the presence of a giant metal monster climbing Greenwoods' walls. Her blood ran cold. How on earth were they going to deal with that? The answer appeared when the horrendous beast suddenly froze, immobile. Numair Salmalin's black gift sparked and darted across the metal frame, restraining it.

'Kel,' a sudden soft voice in her ear made her jump, looking for the source. 'It's Numair, I've been told you've fought one of these things before. I won't be able to hold it much longer,' Kel could hear the strain in his voice. 'How did you finish off the last one?'

'Punch...' Kel hesitated feeling stupid talking to herself. 'Punch a hole in it's shell, and a sort of white vapour escapes.'

'Thank you...' the tired voice faded away into the noise of the battlefield.

Feeling disconcerted, Kel tightened her reins, ready for their next charge. As they sped back to the battle once again, the men around Kel were hollering 'Tortall,' as a frenzied battle-cry. Adding her own voice to the clamour, she sought out her next victims. The eleven riders spread out, hitting the attacking force as a single wave. Kel found herself on the end of the wave, and made it her task to try and clear the ground between the riders and Merric's group of foot-soldiers, who were gradually becoming cut off from the rest of the defensive force.

'Good work,' shouted Merric, his voice only just audible above the tumult. 'Keep the way back open,' he said desperately.

Ten sweaty, bloody minutes later, it was all over. Dom's squad regrouped and trotted back to the fort, all patting and praising their mounts. Apart from Fulcher whose thigh was bleeding heavily the rest had only sustained minor injuries. As they re-entered the fort it was to the cheering of the refugees. Grinning wearily at each other they dismounted. Kel followed suit, finding, as she usually did after a battle, that her legs had turned to jelly with relief. She removed her helmet and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

'Impressive,' drawled Neal, as he passed Kel on his way to assess Fulcher. She blinked. She understood the awed looks on the civilian faces; this was likely to have been their first glimpse of combat done by trained warriors. What unnerved her was the impressed expressions of Merric, Seaver and the other soldiers.

There was a reason that the King's Own was separate from the regular army, she thought, slightly annoyed. It was an elite fighting force, what else did they expect? The Own were trained to be mobilised quickly, fight efficiently and carry on afterwards.

The first and foremost task now was to cool down and rub off their horses. Good mounts were invaluable and had to be taken care of. Once Prince was seen too and had been given a bucket of oats as a reward, she joined the burial crews, offering up prayers for the fallen, be they Tortallan or Scanran.

Seaver was overseeing this task and although he looked slightly ill at the sight of all the bodies being piled up, he stood it out resolutely.

Seaver was not the only person looking ill; Master Numair was slumped against the guardhouse, his face grey and sweaty.

'Are you alright?' Kel inquired, handing the mage a canteen of water which he drained gratefully.

'Holding those machines took a lot out of me,' he explained with a sigh. 'That was powerful necromancy, very strong, very evil.'

'Necromancy?' asked Kel, not familiar with the magical term.

'Enslavement of dead spirits,' Numair replied with a shudder. 'Mages are forbidden from experimenting in certain areas of magic; the results are often terrible and extremely difficult to overcome. About six years ago now, a student named Blayce was expelled from the City of Gods, charged with Necromancy. We've reports that it's his work we're coming to witness.'

Something jolted in Kel's mind; she was sure she'd heard talk of a Gallan sorcerer when she'd been in Scanra.

He looked at Kel, dark eyes filled with worry. 'I can't remain here much longer. What will they do without a mage able to restrain those machines?'

Kel bit her lip; she had been wondering the same thing. 'Nets, reinforced nets,' she suggested. 'Maybe make the walls harder to breach... If we could pile up loose rocks around the bases of the walls...their metal feet would struggle to find purchase...'

The mage gave her an unfathomable look.'I think I can help there,' he mused. 'Yes, but it must wait until tomorrow.' With an enormous effort he pushed himself to his feet. The tall man swayed quite alarmingly.

'Do you need assistance?' asked Kel delicately.

He sent a wry smile her way. 'I think there are more who need your help, Squire Keladry,' he said gesturing to a middle aged woman who was making her way towards Kel.

Kel turned and met Fanche warily. The woman strode forward and hugged Kel tightly.

'You've improved since I last saw you,' she murmured, and added, with just a hint of amusement, 'Not bad...for a noble.'

* * *

Any thoughts would be very, very much appreciated! Go on...it won't take you long! (Certainly not as long as it took me to write this rather extended chapter!)

**Confusedknight** xxx


	70. Harsh realities

**-a/n-** EEEEEE! Chapter 70; how exciting is that! Very exciting. Life is just lovely, finished all my farm work, been playing hockey and baking cupcakes. Back to uni at the weekend.

Love to you all,

**Confusedknight** xx

* * *

It took several hours of hard work to tidy up and repair the damage from the battle. After a quick supper the nobles withdrew to the camp's headquarters. Numair sealed the room magically from eavesdroppers with a quick wave of his long-fingered hands and then lent backwards in his chair, arms crossed, listening to what Douglass had to say.

The knight paused, examining the rough-grained table in front of him before looking up at the expectant faces. The enemy have engaged our forces this week at The City of the Gods, Northwatch, Steadfast, Giantkiller, Westrock and Seabeth.' Kel winced; Maggur's forces in the first week of combat had spread along the majority of Tortall's northern border.

'Including our two, there have been twenty-one reported sightings of these metal killing devices in this week alone. Vanget is seeking your counsel Master Numair,' said Douglass, 'Since we have to presume that Maggur is going to continue using these...abominations.' He sighed, his brown eyes worried. 'War's officially been declared.'

'Well that's just lovely then isn't it?' drawled Neal after a moment's tense silence. 'Maggot can send as many monsters at us as he likes, just so long as it's all recorded and official.'

Although Duke Baird frowned at his insubordinate son, Merric, Seaver and Douglass chuckled, and the grim mood lifted slightly.

'Today has proved two things,' continued Douglass. 'Firstly that we are a target in Scanra's eyes, but more importantly that we showed the enemy that we are not going to be easy-pickings. I will be applying to Lord Wyldon tonight for more soldiers, not only to replace Dom's squad but also for extra patrols and defences.'

'Where are you going?' asked Seaver.

'We've orders to return to Steadfast,' said Dom cheerfully. 'Raoul's missing his squire.'

'Kel's going too?' asked Merric in surprise. 'Who's going to lead all the training?'

'I hope,' Kel spoke up, 'That any of you, all of you, would help to continue to train Greenwoods defensive forces. At best you'll be given another thirty men to defend this camp. By the end of the summer you'll have at least six hundred, if not more, refugees. It's grossly unfair to ask so few to defend so many. I urge you to make use of the refugees.' She paused before ploughing on, 'I know many nobles speak badly of commoners but these villagers have lead hard lives. They've lost nearly everything in this war and will fight as hard as any soldier to protect the loved ones they have left. Show them the way and they'll be willing to defend this camp to their last.'

'Once I've spoken to Vanget I'll be making my opinions known to the Council of Lords and the Council of Commons; we have no choice but to move the refugees south. These people, particularly the children are too close to Scanra, too close to Blayce.' Numair spoke in his deep voice.

'Blayce?' asked several men.

'The necromancer we believe to be responsible for the killing machines. As Squire Keladry said, by the summer's end there will be near six hundred refugees housed here, not in a fort, but a camp. And I daresay they'll be another couple of hundred at other places along the border. Think how many killing machines that could make.'

A horrible silence followed this statement.

'These machines can tip the balance of this war, and not in our favour,' Duke Baird commented seriously. 'Have we any news on the location of this sorcerer?'

'Our spies and Daine's helpful little friends have searched the capital Hamrkeng from top to bottom, and he's not there.'

'Scanra's a big place,' Dom said. 'All vast snowy plains and mountains; he could be holed up anywhere.'

'What about near iron mines and forges?' Asked Kel, 'Have the spies searched there? Surely he needs a lot of metal to make these monsters.'

Everyone turned to stare at Kel before looking expectantly at Numair.

'She's got a good point,' said Duke Baird, impressed.

'I don't know,' mused the black-robed mage. 'Last summer three of Scanra's largest mines and forges were destroyed. According to Maggur they were accidental explosions, but our sources say that they happened on the same day which seems a little too coincidental for my liking.'

'I wonder if any Tortallan spies were involved?' mused Dom.

'Or maybe,' said Kel quietly, 'They were local people unhappy with the war and killing machines.' She was willing to bet everything she owned, including Prince and Courage, that it had been Alex's hand had guided the attacks.

Merric snorted. 'They probably revere this mage Blacye, and worship him as some sort of heathen god.'

Kel felt anger surge within her. 'Not if he's stealing their children to fuel these machines,' she pointed out coldly.

'How do you know they're children?' asked Douglass.

'We heard it's voice when we killed our first one,' said Kel quietly. 'It said "mama".'

The men all drew the sign for protection against evil on their chests. Kel, sick to her stomach at the very thought of a man who could slaughter children and enslave their spirits, did not draw the sign. Instead she added Blacye to her list of men she would see dead or die in the attempt.

In her minds eye she saw the innocent, smiling faces of Isra, Hal and Meah, surrounded by their blonde hair, and anger rose inside her. If Maggur was Alex's to kill, then let her have Blayce, by the Gods let her avenge the children of Scanra.

* * *

She went to find Neal in the infirmary early the next morning before they left for Steadfast. She was dressed smartly in a Goldenlake tunic over an unusually clean linen shirt.

'Are you all ready to set off then?' The green-eyed healer asked, putting aside the jars of ointment he was sorting.

'Just about.' Kel replied.

Neal made his way over to her.

'You be careful Kel,' he warned, his expression unusually serious.

'I'll be fine,' she assured him, more confidently than she felt.

After a moment's pause he said, 'I'm sorry that we haven't spent as much time together as I would've liked, but with one thing and another.'

'We're at war, Neal,' Kel reminded him gently. 'We could hardly go on long rides with picnics and reminisce about old times.'

'All the same, when this is all over,' he gestured round at the infirmary's freshly cut walls, but Kel knew he meant the bigger picture; Kel's squiredom, the war, their duties. 'I'd like to invite you to Queenscove, to visit my mothers and sisters. We can go for long rides and argue about fighting and vegetables like we used to.'

Kel smiled, 'And you can tell me all about your adventures with the Lioness.'

'And you with Lord Raoul,' he replied. 'And,' his green eyes captured Kel's, 'I'd like to hear about where you disappeared to for all those years.'

Swallowing hard, Kel admitted; 'It's a long story, but one you deserve to hear.'

'Thank you.' Was Neal's simple reply.

* * *

They cantered most of the way back to Steadfast and arrived tired but safe, later that day. Raoul and the rest of Third Company greeted them warmly. Several changes had been made to the fort whilst they'd been away; extra watch towers and stables had been erected. Raoul told them that they'd been joined by Second Company of the Own and an extra company of the regular army.

Headquarters had been extended and Kel now found that she'd been given a small box room near to Raoul's on his request; so that he didn't have to find a woman to go and summon her from the barracks everytime he needed her.

After months of sleeping in barracks, Kel found the quiet of her own room strange but calm. She felt she could relax, let her guard down every once in a while, pray for Alex's safety without interruption.

Kel quickly learned that the war this summer was going to be full-on. It was but the next day when they drove off an attack from two hundred armed Scanrans, and four days later the enemy returned again.

Over the next six weeks they engaged the enemy several times, with varying successes. Once or twice, meeting the Scanran forces head-on had such an impact that the soldiers turned on their heels and fled. Sometimes the drawn out battles lasted for hours. On other occasions it simply required archers and mages to pick off small forces that attempted to penetrate the fort.

Kel remained at Raoul's side through all of this, his small and steady shadow. Sometimes she would stand next to him on the battlements, listening to his impressive voice boom out instructions to the forces. On different occasions she would be riding next to him, in the thick of the fighting.

The enemy invariably bought killing machines with them and whenever Kel was part of the force sent to trap one of the metal monsters she had to fight against waves of her own chilling fear.

As the days lengthened and warmed the army at Steadfast continued to suffer steady losses, including a young corporal from Dom's squad and two knight friends of Raoul's. All in all, Raoul told Kel privately, they could be doing a lot worse.

One morning Kel was woken by a tumultuous crash. Disorientated in the semi-darkness she pulled on her boots and snatched up Courage before cautiously opening the door to her room. At that moment Raoul's door was flung wide open to reveal her dishevelled knight-master.

'What was-'

But Raoul didn't even stop to hear Kel out, he was off down the stairs, jumping three steps at a time in his haste. Kel, thankful that she'd learnt to sleep in breeches after the Goastrack incident, followed him.

The first thing that hit Kel when she stepped out into the cool morning air was not just the smell of burning wood, but the acrid tang that told her blazebalm was involved. There was another almighty crash somewhere to her right and flames danced in the dim light. Shouts and cries echoed all around her as confused, fearful men spilled out of the barracks like ants from an anthill.

The breeze brought with it a particularly strong smell of blazebalm and as the scent filled Kel's nostrils she found herself transported back to some five years previously when she'd been stumbling around a city under siege. She could see the flaming buildings, the heat, the screams, Rhonda trapped beneath a collapsed building...

Her head felt light as the scene swam before her, she swayed, fear momentarily overcoming her.

'Kel!' Raoul was speaking to her. 'Kel!' strong hands were shaking her.

Slowly, and feeling nauseous from a mixture of fear and inhaled smoke she focused on what was in front of her; an anxious Raoul.

'Sorry,' she croaked.

'Come with me,' he said urgently. 'We need to see how many of them are out there.'

'What about evacuating?' Kel could hear the crackling of flames.

'The mage's protection charms should hold,' replied Raoul. 'The fire damage should be limited.' There was another deafening crash. 'Of course large boulders will still smash this wooden pen to pieces.'

Flyndad Whiteford came hurrying towards them. 'Ready the whole company,' commanded Raoul without hesitation. We need to destroy those catapults. Any mages send them to Master Harailt.'

Knight-master and squire scrambled up the watch tower attached to the outer wall to survey the extent of the situation they had found themselves in. Enemy lines were gathered in the trees less than one hundred yards away. Even in the dim light Kel could see three catapults spread amongst the neatly assembled red companies.

'How did they manage to transport the catapult's, milord?' asked a sweating guard, his face ashen and wrinkled with worry.

'Must've carried 'em here in smaller pieces,' answered a second guard, spitting on the walkway in disgust.

'Any signs of the killing machines?' asked Raoul.

'None as yet, Sir, but they've barely moved from the trees.'

'We should've had word that this attack was coming,' growled Raoul in frustration.

Down on the ground inside the camp's walls the forces were assembling, the royal blue of Second and Third companies of the King's Own particularly prominent. Raoul was hollering instructions down the company commanders and bands of silver-encased knights. From his position on the wall he was describing battle formations and the positions of the enemy forces. The plan was to distract the Scanrans for long enough to let the mages deal with the catapults.

Even as Kel surveyed the fort boulders, blazebalm and other debris were being hurled long over her head to crash into the buildings or just as often empty air was thick with shouting and smoke, she felt useless; she should be riding out as part of the great column now streaming from Steadfast's main gates.

'Kel,' Raoul turned to her at last with instructions. 'Ready Drum and Prince, find a standard bearer, anyone who's free to help you bring my armour up here I'm-'

He was interrupted by an unintelligible shout and then, suddenly the floor disappeared from underneath Kel's feet. Rather than plummeting down she was flung backwards as the force of the projectile's impact was dissipated. In the split seconds of flight splintered wood and other shrapnel bombarded her. She hit something very solid, there was pain for an instant and then nothingness.

Kel regained consciousness several times over the next few minutes; as someone pulled her from the wreckage of the watchtower slapping her face over and over. Tasting blood in her mouth she coughed weakly before sliding into blackness again. Smelling salts in the infirmary had a more lasting effect and Kel, completely dazed lay like a limp rag doll, the only movement the ragged rise and fall of her chest as she struggled to cope with the pain that seemed to puncture every cell in her body.

Firm hands stripped her down to her underwear, cutting away the shreds of her shirt, feeling and probing, and causing Kel to whimper in pain. Words from their mouths floated around her head, utterly meaningless. A face appeared before her. She knew that face. But there was something wrong. Faces shouldn't be completely scraped raw and bloody on one side, or have noses at funny angles. Kel's stunned brain struggled to make any sense of anything.

Someone was lifting her into a sitting position on the table, bracing her. She wanted to speak in protest and realised with a mild surprise that her voice seemed to be working of it's own accord, mumbling over and over, in Goddess only knows what language.

The hands on her arm pulled and manipulated and pain exploded along her right shoulder, blocking everything else out. She was shouting now, screaming even, as they re-set her dislocated joint. She welcomed the relief as her eyes drifted shut again.

Her nostrils stung, why couldn't they just let her sleep?

'You've got to stay awake, Keladry,' said someone firmly. 'Can you do that for me?'

Some dark recess of her battered mind seemed to think that nodding was an appropriate response. The movement caused an increased thumping resound around her skull.

The clamour all around was terrible, people moving at the corners of her blurry vision made her feel nauseous. Moments later she was actually vomiting, someone grabbing her so that it splattered onto the floor and not her own lap.

'Easy, easy,' someone was murmuring, wiping off her mouth and laying her down on her left side. Cool hands pressed themselves to her temples and the world seemed to pulsate slightly less, her vision was clearing slightly.

'Is that better?'

'Mnhmm,' she croaked, finding a voice that was a lot hoarser than hers usually was.

'I'm going to try and make you more comfortable, Keladry, but you've got to stay awake. It's extremely important.'

Important, important, important, the word bounced around her skull, she hung on to it, fighting to stay awake as the healer daubed at her side. She could see bloody water running down her stomach as he sponged her off. Fingers poked at her ribs, finding the two cracked ones and starting the healing process. Soft bandages were wrapped briskly around her torso from breast to hip whilst firmer strappings were placed on her damaged shoulder.

The tight material binding her head was uncomfortable and she lifted a bruised and bloody left hand to try and loosen them, but a large hand gently stopped her from doing this. Kel turned her head slowly and discovered that she could now put a name to the scraped face; Raoul of Goldenlake. He too had now been bandaged around head and torso, the fabric very white in comparison to the dirty, bloody skin of his face and arms.

Blood still dripped slowly from the end of his nose that had now been set and two bruises were blooming spectacularly around either eye as a result.

'What happened?' whispered Kel, the details of her admittance to the infirmary were eluding her.

'A catapult destroyed the platform we were standing on,' Raoul replied thickly. He let go of her hand and set about pouring Kel a glass of water.

She swilled the first mouthful of water around and spat it out onto the floor, trying to rid her mouth of blood and vomit. The second and third gulps soothed her raw throat. Settling back against the bed's headboard, she fought not to cry out or groan at the smarting, aching and throbbing that plagued every inch of her.

'Here,' Raoul picked up Kel's torn, dusty breeches from the end of the bed. It was only at this point that Kel realised vaguely how little she was wearing. The healer returned, helped Kel into the breeches and handed clean shirts to both squire and knight. He also examined both of their eyes before pronouncing that there was little else he could do without wasting his gift. Already the infirmary was looking quite full, new men entering every five minutes or so.

After he'd dashed off to stop major bleeding from a soldier's leg wound, he bought Kel and Raoul some tea to help ease their concussion. As foul as the herbs tasted, Kel felt it starting to work within quarter of an hour; her head cleared enough to let her sit up and struggle into the large undyed shirt that the healer had presented her with. Kel didn't even want to attempt moving her shoulder and left it strapped in position underneath the shirt, giving her a bulky, lopsided appearance.

'I'm going to see what's happening,' announced Raoul, carefully standing up, wincing in pain as he did so.

Kel also struggled to her feet.

'Oh no you don't -' he began.

'I'll be fine,' said Kel, pronouncing each word carefully. She took up Courage in her left hand and took a wobbly step forward.

Raoul looked for a moment as though he was going to attempt to stop her. Their eyes met briefly and Kel saw Raoul give in, he extended an arm to help steady her as they left the infirmary. Busy with at least six other patients, the healer didn't notice them leave.

They hobbled through the fort, past damaged, smoking buildings to the assembly space by the gate. Here men were gathered, sweaty and bloody, either patching up superficial wounds or taking a breather whilst they re-grouped.

Raoul's second-in-command, Sir Kendal of Blue Harbour was giving the orders. As he sent fifty or so men galloping out of the fort, he sagged sideways against the fort wall, draining a water skin.

'How goes it?' asked Raoul

Sir Kendal made no comment about the ragged appearance of the Commander and his squire and instead proceeded to fill them in on the battle so far.

'We've destroyed all siege weapons fairly easy -their magical defences were poor and no match for Harailt and his men. Our hit-and-run attacks are doing a fair amount of damage out there, but their numbers are great and every time they unleash a killing machine our battle plans disintegrate and casualties increase.'

'Have we called for aid?' rasped Raoul.

'Harailt has called for Master Numair and has sent word to the other forts. Giantkiller's also calling for aid but we're barely keeping above water as it is. I daren't risk sending aid until we've beaten back this pox-ridden army.'

Kel followed Raoul back to headquarters apprehensively; for all her courage and determination, she wasn't sure if she had the co-ordination or balance at the moment to even sit on a horse, let alone fight a battle from one.

She pulled on chain mail, almost passing out with pain as she slid her injured arm into the sleeve. With difficulty she strapped a wristguard to her left forearm. Kel used a belt to fashion a more robust sling for her right arm and then picked up her helmet.

She made her way to Raoul's door. Looking in, she saw her knight-master struggling to do up the plates of his armour, face contorted with pain. He was panting slightly.

'Here, let me,' said Kel quietly.

Raoul tried to iron the traces of discomfort from his features. 'No way,' he said firmly, looking at Kel fully kitted-up with her damaged arm.

'I can fight just as well with my left arm,' she argued.

'You've been badly hurt,' Raoul retorted, 'I can't let you ride into battle.'

'And you're not injured at all,' said Kel tartly.

'It's different,' protested Raoul. Kel held his gaze until he sighed, 'The healer's going to kill us both when he finds out.'

'Just so long as it's quick,' replied Kel, setting her helmet onto her bandaged head. 'I wouldn't want to suffer.'

Snorting, Raoul copied her movements, adjusting the helm gingerly. 'May Mithros save us,' he muttered, holding the door open for Kel.

Someone had readied Prince and Drum, so that they simply had to mount up. Both struggled onto their horses, Kel feeling like the whole of her right side was on fire. Glad that no one could see how her eyes watered with pain through her helmet, she tied the reigns in a knot so that she could hold them easily with one hand. When time came to fight she'd have to rely on her legs to manoeuvre Prince. This would be a completely crazy stunt if she didn't know Prince as well as she did.

Raoul began to direct their forces into more effective formations, using a standard bearer to relay the orders to save his damaged voice. Several times they led Second Company in great sweeping arcs, engaging the enemy for ten minutes at a time and then pulling back, providing relief to struggling Tortallan lines. The jostling of riding caused almost unbearable pain in her shoulder. Luckily her cries and half sobs were muffled by the clamour of battle.

Just after midday, when the fight for Steadfast had been raging for over six hours, there was a great trumpeting and blue troops rode in from the west. Raoul, who was observing the battle from the wall squinted through a spyglass, his puffy eyes making it difficult to see through the lens.

'Unless I'm completely addled, which given the circumstances isn't unlikely, that's Alanna down there.'

'Isn't she meant to be in command at the coast?' asked Kel slowly, the fanfare not helping her pounding head.

Raoul passed Kel the spyglass. Through the round tube Kel watched a small knight in shining mail lead a charge into the army. Though she held her sword aloft it was purple fire that streamed from both hand and sword that caused the most damage. It enveloped the nearest killing machine, crushing it until it crumpled lifeless to the floor. Moments later waves of soldiers scattered, their weapons suddenly too hot to even hold.

Silver magic intertwined with the amber and Kel realised that Master Harailt must've realised Lady Alanna was nearby and summoned her to the battlefield. Together they took out machine after machine. From this distance it looked easy, effortless. Kel found a wave of jealousy surge inside her; the Lady Knight could dispatch these horrors so easily. She'd heard tales of the Lioness's gift, but to see it in the flesh, so powerful and destructive was another matter entirely.

'I thought healers could only manage small, delicate magics?' croaked Kel as they climbed back down onto their horses.

'There's nothing small about Alanna's gift,' replied Raoul. 'She's blessed by the Goddess.' He shrugged. 'She doesn't often do battle magic or sorcery, but I reckon she's the closest match to Master Numair you'll find.' Looking sideways at his battered, downcast squire, he said consolingly, 'Alanna once told me that she was warned to heal all she can to pay for the lives she takes. Such a Gift comes with considerable burdens.'

They wheeled the horses around, collected half a company and charged again, Kel gritting her teeth; she didn't know how much more of this she could she ran a Scanran axe-man through, hating the look of terror on his face as he dropped to the ground.

The arrival of reinforcements and the deaths of the killing devices renewed Steadfast's warriors and within half an hour the Scanrans had fled, disappearing into the forest. The Tortallans picked their way slowly across the battlefield, aiding injured comrades as they went.

Kel and Raoul rode to Lady Alanna, who was crouched over a fallen soldier. His bloody hands clutched at her arm until suddenly they fell limply to the ground. The Lady Knight stood up, turning to face them with hard violet eyes. The man on the ground behind her did not move. Up close the Lady knight was grey-faced and sweaty. Raoul dismounted stiffly, standing tall and not betraying any of the pain Kel knew he was feeling. Alanna managed a weak smile and grasped arms with Raoul.

'Good to see you,' said the Knight Commander, meaning it.

'We're in stalemate up at Frasrlund,' Alanna said disgustedly. 'Luckily we were on our way to Northwatch when I heard Harailt's call.' She wiped her bloody sword on her boot and sheathed it. 'My men and I are under your command,' she said seriously, deferring to her older and larger friend.

'We need to scout the area for further danger, secure the fort, clean up this mess, and make contact with Mastiff and Giantkiller,' said Raoul, suddenly business-like.

Alanna got out her sword and seemed to stare at the flat of the blade, her face was concentrated at faint wisps of purple danced along the blade. After a couple of minutes she declared, 'Unless there are exceptionally good disguising spells in place, there are no Scanran forces in a mile radius.'

'That's a start,' said Raoul, relief in his voice.

'I will contact the other forts if I can,' said Harailt in his quiet voice.

Raoul nodded his approval before addressing his second-in-command; 'Kendal, I need half your men searching for any survivors,' he cast a hand around at the bodies strewn across the now still field. 'Tortallans to the infirmary, Scanrans to a holding cell. The rest of your men can start to pile up the Scanran dead. Find Flyn and tell him Third Company are collecting Tortallan dead. Ulliver -' Raoul now addressed the man in charge of Second Company of the King's Own, 'Start organising repairs, most importantly to the outer wall and patching up the barrack roofs.'

'I'm going to help in the infirmary,' Alanna announced, wiping her red hair from her forehead.

'Sir?' Kel asked once everyone else had moved away to start their tasks.

'I need a list of the dead,' said Raoul heavily. 'When Third Company start piling them up. Ask a representative from each company to help you identify them. If that fails then their sword should have an engraving of their name.' Kel nodded sombrely. 'Come to my office when you're done.'

Trying to write without moving her shoulder at all was extremely difficult, but at least Kel could sit down whilst she completed her task. Whatever potion the healer had given her was beginning to wear off and the nausea was returning.

The losses had been heavy; one-hundred-and-seven men, a figure that was likely to rise when some died of their wounds in the infirmary. They'd lost more than a whole company in a single day.

Clutching the list convulsively in her left hand, she staggered to her feet. Every step was a battle to remain upright in a world that tilted and span before her very eyes. The stairs up to Raoul's rooms presented a big challenge and Kel found herself practically crawling up them. Hoisting herself back onto two feet Kel shuffled slowly along the corridor, using the wall as a guide and entered Raoul's room. She carefully set the list down on his desk and then stumbled into a chair, sitting down heavily. Kel wearily removed her helmet, trying to ease the throbbing feeling that had enveloped her whole head.

'Thanks,' said Raoul, not lifting his bandaged head from his hands.

'Has there been news?' asked Kel tentatively.

'Mastiff's fine, turned back a small army earlier this morning. They're riding to Giantkiller as we speak.'

Lady Alanna entered a few minutes later, devoid of armour and wiping freshly washed hands on her sweat-stained shirt.

'They've got it under control in the infirmary,' she said, sitting down on a chair with a groan. 'Goddess what happened to you two?'

Kel realised dimly what a mess she must look, since Raoul looked awful.

'We were on the watchtower when it collapsed,' said Raoul, lifting his head with an effort. There was a trickle of blood running from his nose and half his face was still grazed horribly.

Alanna leapt up, 'Why aren't you in the infirmary?' she demanded, glaring at her friend.

'In case you hadn't noticed we've been a bit busy.' Replied Raoul.

'If you've hit your head then it could be a lot more serious than you think,' said Alanna her hands reaching for Raoul's curly-haired head.

'See to Kel, she's worse than I am.'

'Mm fine' slurred Kel, she had her eyes half-closed; the light pouring in at the window was hurting her eyes.

'Mithros and Shakith!' Alanna swore, 'You let her fight like this?'

'She insisted, the healer gave us both a tea, but I think it must be wearing off.'

'Clearly,' snorted Alanna. 'And a tea doesn't cure concussion Raoul, even you should know that.'

Alanna peeled open Kel's eyelids and peered intently into her hazel eyes whilst simultaneously feeling for Kel's pulse. Laying two hands on Kel's head Alanna poured her Gift into the lady squire. Kel's head went blessedly cool and her mind cleared; it felt like someone was removing heavy weights from her skull. Alanna checked the bandages around her head and seemed satisfied.

'Thanks,' said Kel, embarrassed now she could think clearly again.

'You're going to have a sore head for a couple of days,' Alanna warned, 'Concussion is tricky to manage. You'll need a healer to keep an eye on you.'

Alanna turned back to Raoul.

'Look at Kel's shoulder too,' Raoul said stubbornly. 'It dislocated in the fall.'

Swearing and muttering about people who should remain in infirmaries once they'd been admitted, Alanna set about removing Kel's make-shift sling.

'I can't work with the mail on,' said Alanna as she helped Kel to lift the metal shirt over her head and carefully off of her arm. Alanna slid callused hands inside the collar of Kel's shirt and gently prodded and squeezed Kel's shoulder. Kel screwed up her face in pain. A minute later and Alanna's gift brought relief, knitting together the damaged ligaments and tendons, removing the swelling.

'Any other injuries?'

'I think the healer already fixed my ribs. Apart from that it's just scrapes,' Kel said quietly.

Alanna turned her attention to Raoul.

'Your face is a mess,' she told him bluntly.

Alanna fixed his head and then paused to gulp some water; if Kel were to hazard a guess, Alanna was nearing the end of her Gift.

'Anything else?' She asked, 'And for the Gods' sakes don't lie to me!'

'I have quite a deep wound on my side,' admitted Raoul. 'Landed on a sharp piece of wood.'

Alanna unwrapped the lower half of Raoul's bandaging and Kel had to wince. Raoul's flesh was a mess of bruises and grazes. Kel had a horrible feeling that she too would look like she'd been chewed on and then spat out by a kraken. Just below his ribs there was a large wound which Alanna sealed in seconds.

'Now that I know neither of you are going to die on me, what news from Giantkiller?'

'Nothing,' said Raoul worriedly. 'Wyldon's riding there now.'

The three of them were joined by Harailt, Flyndan, Kendal, Ulliver and several others. Kel gave up her seat for one of the commanders and sat on the floor, leaning against a crude chest of drawers. She had a cloth and scrubbed intently at Courage's blade. The soldiers sat in grim silence, all preoccupied with their own thoughts.

'Harailt?' asked Kendal in a strained voice.

'I'm sorry,' replied the weary mage. 'I can't.'

Alanna sprang to her feat. 'And I can't wait anymore.'

'No,' Harailt emplored her, 'You've used too much.'

'Pox curse it,' snapped Alanna, 'I've used more before.' She clutched convulsively at something at her throat. 'Great mother guide me,' she said in a softer tone.

Alanna set her sword on her lap and began to scry. Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down, but she didn't stop to brush it away. The knight's forehead was screwed up in a frown and Kel could see close up that the lady had small wrinkles at the corner of her eyes.

There was a sort of pressure building in the room and Kel swallowed, trying to pop her ears. At last, when she thought she could bear it no more, Alanna's sword clattered to the floor as her hands dropped, the violet Gift vanishing.

She managed two words before slumping forward in a dead faint; 'Giantkiller's fallen.'

* * *

'I thought I'd be seeing you,' said the grey-haired woman, setting down the pan she was holding. 'And the answer is still no.'

'You're now on the run from the biggest army our country's ever seen,' pointed out Alex, perching on the wooden table.

'You got my daughter killed.'

Alex bowed his head. 'A lot of people have died for our cause. Even more have died unwillingly for Maggur.'

'I don't want to die for anyone,' said the lady bitterly, 'I just wanted to live out my days in my town with my family.'

'We don't always have the choices we want,' said Alex, hardly. 'The time will come when you have to choose a side.'

'So why should I chose the loosing side?'

'Because we will hold out.'

'Yes?' said the lady sceptically. 'Your pretty speeches won't work on me young man.'

'We need you,' replied Alex bluntly. 'I need someone powerful to co-ordinate our network of mages. News is far too slow in reaching us. Word is you can contact your cousins in Hamrkeng even from up here.'

The mage paused. 'And that's all it would be, communication?'

'I swear to you, all I need is information passed from all sides of the country to the other. I won't ask for any war magics.'

The lady turned her sharp green eyes on him. 'I'll hold you to your promise.'

'I wouldn't dream of tricking anyone as powerful as you,' said Alex drily.

'Wise move.'

'Can you really reach Hamrkeng?'

'As sure as the sun'll rise tomorrow.'

'I've a friend there, his name is Feipt and he's got a small net of mages in the south. Can you ask him if there's any news of Blayce?'

Alex sat down to wait, struggling to suppress the cough that had plagued him for the last month. Ten minutes later he had his answer;

'He's not at Miltrak; he must be further south; Hastanne, Ratthausak or Dundine.'

They were getting closer to tracking down Blayce. He would set off for the South tomorrow.

* * *

Once Alanna had been revived, the uproar calmed down and they realised that there was nothing they could do apart from pray for the dead, their gathering dispersed. Kel tried to block out the thought of hundreds of dead strewn about the fort that they had built...The thought of how close Steadfast had come to falling itself. A few more killing machines and without the arrival of Alanna's reinforcements...

She got shakily to her feet. 'Anything else my lord?'

Raoul shook his head dumbly.

She had made it to the door when he said quietly, 'Thank you.'

'For what?' Kel's head couldn't fathom what she'd done to receive thanks.

'Again you went above and beyond your duties, even though you were injured. You showed courage and selflessness above what many fully fledged knights do.'

'She's learning from the best, Raoul,' said Alanna wearily from the corner.

Kel slipped away whilst her knight-master was distracted. She need to lie down, she needed to cry for the dead, she needed to pull herself together because the Tortallan border was hanging on by a thread and she'd promised Alex that they'd hold back Maggur.

* * *

**-a/n-** I enjoyed writing this chapter. I like imagining how harsh the war really was, when not set back in a refugee camp like Kel was in 'Lady Knight'. And I hope you liked the glimpse of what Alex is up to. It's really not long until the reunion many of you are rooting for!

So what'd you think? I'd love for you to leave a review, pretty please...I usually only get feedback from about three percent of readers, which makes me sad.

Hopefully I'll get another one up soon -the next chapter has been planned for quite a while!

**Confusedknight** xx


	71. Going back

**-a/n-** Wonderful readers! Your reviews have had me writing obsessively in all the free time I've had (which admittedly hasn't been much, but just enough to churn out the next installment of Kel's escapades.)

* * *

They had been planning to visit Lord Wyldon at Mastiff for some time, so when the courier arrived with news of an attack on Greenwoods, Raoul summoned two squads from Third Company and was on the road within quarter of an hour. They rode hard, in silence. Icy fear clutched at Kel's heart; the faces of Neal, Merric, Seaver, Douglass and all those that she'd trained swimming before her eyes. Raoul was tight-lipped, his face set in a half-frown and Kel knew that he worried for his ex-squire and friend, Douglass.

When they reached the towering log palisade of Mastiff they were hurried inside. Lord Wyldon and his companies were still out riding, there'd been no news.

Late in the afternoon the companies returned, grim-faced and bearing wounded men on stretchers slung between horses. Kel almost cried out in relief when she saw Neal, and flung herself towards him. She was quickly followed by a white-faced Dom, who grasped his cousin's arm tightly, his eyes saying what his constricted throat could not.

Neal's emerald eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and his face was pale from over-exertion of his gift.

'We were at Mastiff,' he said. 'Sir Douglass, my father and I. We should've been there.'

Kel looked around; she could see the red-head of Merric being hurried away to the infirmary.

'So few,' she muttered, horrified. 'Is everyone-' she couldn't finish the sentence.

'Gone,' said Neal dully, rubbing his eyes furiously. 'Only sixty odd bodies in the whole place. They've carried them off, children and old alike.'

She left Dom consoling Neal and slipped back in next to Raoul who was talking with Lord Wyldon.

'It's got to be a diversion,' argued the commander of Mastiff.

'Our information says that the attack isn't scheduled until next week,' argued Raoul.

'What of the refugees?' asked Kel. 'Have we picked up their trail?'

Raoul looked pointedly at Wyldon.

'We can't risk it, we just can't. To be caught on the open road by Scanrans would be death to us all. We've no way of knowing that this isn't an elaborate trap. And without warriors to defend it this border will crumble and thousands more lives will be at Maggur's mercy.'

They weren't going after the refugees. This fact sank into Kel's understanding. They were going to let Maggur and Blayce make slaves, or worse killing devices of five hundred of the people Kel had helped train, whom Tortall had failed to protect.

'-they'll be nearly in Scanra by now.' Wyldon was defending his actions.

Kel felt sick. Not only was the loss of five hundred innocents horrifying, but the thought of five hundred killing devices on the border was terrifying.

She could hear the defeat in Wyldon's voice. She remembered her promise to Alex that the Tortallan border must be held at all costs.

And suddenly what she must do lay before her, so crystal clear that Kel thought she might stagger under the weight of the revelation. The refugees had to be rescued, and she Kel, with her knowledge of Scanra could be the only one to do it. Raoul and Wyldon had men under their command, forts they'd sworn to protect. She had no such obligation. She could return as many refugees as possible back to Tortall, follow the rest until they led her straight to Blayce. If she could get word to Alex...They could finish Blayce for good, improving Tortall's chances in the battles to come.

Then she caught sight of Raoul's familiar, ruddy face and she felt her heart tighten. Running off to Scanra would betray the man who knew her better than her own father. And then there was Dom, the man to whom she'd given her heart and soul in a completely different way.

All afternoon Kel struggled with the choice she had to make. In the end it came down to the bigger picture. The lives of five hundred refugees and countless other Tortallan soldiers were at stake. If there was anything worth committing treason, betraying loved ones and ruining her name for, then this was surely it.

* * *

Kel packed quickly for her journey, filling a single saddle bag with a spare shirt, water gourd, firelighter and spyglass. She would pack lightly to speed her journey. She set aside her mail shirt, helmet and wrist guards, discarding her bulkier armour. Her recurve bow and a dozen arrows would also be important.

At dinner that night Kel ate particularly well, knowing that she might have to survive for several weeks on whatever she could hunt or scavenge.

Avoiding Dom and Raoul, who she simply couldn't face, Kel slipped away muttering to her fellow diners that she was tired. She stashed her bag and bow under the straw in Prince's stable before hurrying back to her room and dressing in sensible breeches and an undyed shirt. She folded her Goldenlake tunics, fighting back tears; she wouldn't be needing those ever again. To her waist was strapped a solid belt with a full purse, dagger and both her swords. She then climbed into bed, to wait.

When she was sure that Raoul had gone to bed, she got up and silently pulled on her mail, wrist guards and helmet. Kel left the room without a backwards glance. On her silent journey through Mastiff her heart beat a frantic rhythm against her chest, convinced that any moment someone would question what she was doing. Kel held her breath, sucking her chest in so that she looked more manly, hoping that at a distance she would look like a guard just coming back from watch duty.

She saddled Prince in a matter of minutes and then, her mouth dry, led him to the door concealed in the far corner of the stables. This was Daine's secret exit for the animals of the fort. The tunnel was dark and damp, but Prince didn't falter until they emerged in the forest. When Kel looked back she could not see where they had come from. Shuddering at magics she couldn't understand, Kel mounted up. She peered up through the trees at the stars high above her, thankful that it was a clear night. Her bearings set, she kicked Prince into a canter. If they rode hard she could find the Vassa smugglers by morning.

* * *

Raoul, who had picked up on his squire's aloofness the previous evening, made his way down to the practice courts early, thinking it was likely he'd find a slender figure practising blocks and sweeps with her usual intensity.

To his surprise the court was empty apart from four dark-haired men lazily running through drills with each other. Raoul raised a hand to acknowledge Wyldon as he jogged past on his usual morning run. Silence reigned over the still fort.

He ate breakfast with Douglass who looked awful, like he hadn't slept at all. Raoul then returned to his guest room to finish the Midsummers report he was working on. By the time the ninth bell rang he was slightly concerned at the notable absence of his squire. Finishing a sentence that recommended increased use of polearms now that the Scanrans had effective shield formations, he got up and walked down the corridor to Kel's room, rapping sharply on the door.

'Kel?' No reply came.

He pushed open the door and glanced around the room. Puzzled, for she was not there, Raoul was about to shut the door when he noticed something that looked rather odd in her impeccably tidy room; two forest green tunics folded and laid on the top of the tiny desk. As the knight stepped closer he could see a scrap of paper perched on top. Callused fingers picked up the paper.

Two words were scrawled on top: _'I'm sorry.' _ Feeling like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach he turned over the paper, frantically searching for an explanation. Four more words were squeezed onto the paper, but they were Scanran. He recognised the word for 'I' and 'they' or 'their' but not the other two.

Raoul rushed from the room, almost knocking Squire Owen flying at the bottom of the stairs. 'Have you seen Kel today?' he asked, trying to ignore the rising panic in his chest.

When the squire shook his head Raoul dashed to the stables, praying that when he got there he wouldn't find what he most feared. He skidded to a halt outside Prince's empty stable. Fear, hurt and confusion threatened to overwhelm him. 'Oh Kel,' he muttered, 'What have you done?'

Barging into Lord Wyldon's office five minutes later, and slamming the door behind him Raoul announced despairingly, 'Kel's gone.'

'What do you mean, gone?' replied Wyldon sharply, eyebrows raised.

'I mean she's taken that huge horse of hers and _gone.'_

Mastiff's commander stared. Raoul handed him the piece of paper still clutched in his fist.

'Can you read that?' he asked.

'I'm their only hope.' Lord Wyldon translated slowly.

'Great Gods above,' Raoul whispered. 'She's gone after the refugees.'

* * *

Kel was having a very trying morning. She'd reached the Vassa as the sun rose but found herself still too far West. Not only was she tired from the ride, but keeping up a constant state of alertness was making her jumpy. A Tortallan patrol and she'd be hauled back, a story that ended on Traitor's hill. If she ran into Scanran forces she'd be chopped to pieces. She was also fighting back tears at the thought of Raoul and Dom who might have now discovered her betrayal, Neal's expression when he discovered his friend had run off again, Lord Wyldon's disappointment, the scorn of Third company whom she so admired.

She must keep her thoughts on the road ahead, looking back would make it too difficult to continue one with this crazy quest. For the first time in years she was free to follow the path she chose and she must make it a path to Scanra, back to Alex.

The undergrowth was thick and the track hidden, so Kel dismounted to search for signs of foot or hoof prints. Eventually she found what she was looking for; a game trail that lead up to the high ground above the Vassa. She followed the tree-covered bluff until it wound it's way down into a wide clearing. Here were the Scanran-style houses that she remembered. Smoke rose gently from a chimney and Kel breathed a sigh of relief.

Wearily patting her tired mount, they started forward towards the wooden palisade surrounding the smugglers' village. Before she could reach the gates three Scanran-looking villagers armed with cross bows came out.

'Peace,' called out Kel in Common. She held up her hands to show that she wasn't armed. 'I seek passage across the Vassa.'

'Why do you think you'll find it here?' demanded a short man.

'I've crossed here before, with a fellow called...Jeike, I think.'

'Are you one of the Whisper man's?' asked one woman, lowering her weapon at the mention of Jeike.

'Indirectly yes,' yawned Kel, dismounting and wincing at her stiff legs.

The other two lowered there weapons and Kel went to greet the smugglers, shaking their hands.

'Now that I think about it, I remember this horse here. Mighty fine beast. It was quite a while ago though, ye were a lot younger.'

Kel nodded. 'It's been five years.'

'Well you picked a fine time to return,' said the woman sarcastically. 'What with the war the way it is.'

'Have you seen a big party crossing?' asked Kel interestedly.

'Pah, we don't get involved,' one smuggler spat on the ground. 'Best left well alone. Our crossing is secluded at both sides. It keeps us safe from being discovered; armies like wider, open areas to cross.'

'See to your poor horse, there'll doubtless be a stable free. You won't be crossing anywhere till moonrise.'

'Can you not get me across any sooner?' asked Kel desperately.

'Not our way of doing things. We've agreements to be kept.'

Yawning, Kel didn't press the matter; she could do with a sleep before entering the hostile country.

* * *

Owen, who eavesdropped diligently almost cried out in shock when he heard what Kel had done. Although he'd never been a page with Kel, he counted her as one of his closest friends. They'd both been fighting up on the border for longer than the others and he felt that Kel took him seriously, understood him in a way that his other friends sometimes didn't, fobbing him off as something akin to a younger brother.

Despite frequently listening in on Lord Wyldon's discussions from behind the thin wall that separated Owen's room from the office, he kept his mouth shut on what he heard. Now however, Owen hurried away to find the one person who deserved to know that Kel had left again.

Owen burst into Neal's room.

'Kel's gone,' he announced to the startled knight. 'She's gone to rescue the refugees.'

'What?' snapped Neal, dropping the book he was reading.

'She left during the night,' said Owen breathlessly, 'I heard Lord Raoul telling my lord.'

'She's gone after the refugees,' Neal repeated slowly, incredulously. 'Is she _mad?'_

'She cares about the commoners,' replied Owen. 'She's seen the effects this wars had on them.'

'I know, I know,' said Neal miserably, 'But to go haring off alone...'

Owen swallowed. 'She shouldn't be alone.' He met Neal's bright green eyes.

'You'll be breaking Lord Wyldon's faith,' pointed out the healer.

'I know,' said Owen, looking downcast.

'We'll both be traitors to the crown.'

'Yes we will,' sighed Owen, almost apologetically. 'But Kel needs us.'

'She does,' said Neal. 'And I'm not letting her run off again.'

'Will the others help?'

Neal nodded. 'We were charged with protecting those commoners. It's only right that we help to retrieve them.'

They hurriedly made plans, deciding that the longer they waited, the nearer Kel drew to danger. Owen, like Kel, knew about the secret escape passage in the warhorses stables.

'If we can assemble in there, one by one so as not to draw attention to us leaving, we'd be able to get out of the fort. A bit of hard riding and praying not to get caught should do the trick.'

Neal went to find Merric and Seaver, feeling sure that they would join in the quest; he knew how guilty they felt about failing their people. Some of their other friends were stationed at Mastiff, including Esmond and Faleron. Neither knight was particularly close to Kel and Neal didn't want to risk them exposing the plan to one of the commanders. A similar fear prevented Neal from approaching Douglass about aiding the rescue mission, although he was sure that the Knight would do almost anything to save the refugees.

He did approach the six surviving convict soldiers, all of whom agreed they'd help. Feeling pleased that they now had a force of ten ready to ride to Kel's aid, he set about preparing himself for the ride.

* * *

Neal wasn't the only one busy plotting. As soon as Raoul had left Lord Wyldon's office he'd signalled for Dom to gather his squad. Meeting in a hayloft above the warhorses stables he asked for volunteers to go after Kel. Even though he warned them that the mission would take them into the enemy's territory, right into Scanra itself, every single man volunteered.

Seeing the fear in Dom's eyes when he broke the news about Kel's disappearance, Raoul worried briefly if he'd picked the right squad. They certainly knew refugees the best, having been posted at Greenwoods with Kel. Dom was also one of the most talented leaders in the Own, if any squad had the chance of making it home alive it was his squad. Although they were down to eight men, they were keen to follow after Kel.

He handed them a map, a purse of gold and a piece of paper with an official seal. 'Ride east along the Giantkiller road. If anyone questions you, show them that,' he gestured at the paper. 'Try and pick up the refugees trail, though you might not find her until you're in Scanra. Ride hard,' he advised, 'I'd rather you were re-united as quickly as possible.'

He turned to Dom. 'Once you find her, take your orders from Kel. I trust her judgement.'

'Yes sir.'

* * *

Dom was the first man to climb down from the loft, and as he did so, he distinctly saw a door in the floor of the stable bang shut. As his men spilled out of the loft and into their horses stables, he made his way over to where he'd seen the trap door. He ran his hands along the floor and prised up a wooden flap. Cautiously he peered down the sloping floor and saw at the bottom, none other than his cousin, Neal.

Several things clicked in Dom's head at once.

'Give us five minutes boys,' said Dom cheerily, spotting several other faces besides Neal's, 'And we'll be right down to join you.'

* * *

The tunnel was very crowded by the time the full party had assembled. The convict soldiers had helpfully invited Sergeant Connac's squad along, so that by the time they left the tunnel they numbered twenty eight. As Raoul had advised they rode hard. No one needed much persuading, the fear of discovery hastening their flight. They rode all day, sweat trickling down flushed cheeks. It was early evening by the time they found themselves at the Vassa, staring across at the abandoned flat-bottomed boats on the other side.

'Now what?' Demanded Merric, who was still exhausted from the healing he'd had the previous day.

'We've no idea if Kel's crossed the Vassa or not,' mused Seaver.

'I say we cross and pick up the trail on the other side, we're bound to run into her,' said Owen confidently, still cheerful despite the hard ride.

'And how do you propose we cross the river?' retorted Merric.

They surveyed the fast-flowing waters.

'It's going to be too cold to even swim across and fetch those boats,' sighed Dom.

'It's too deep for the horses to swim certainly,' said Sergeant Connac.

'I know a way,' said Neal, frowning slightly. 'It's not precisely legal, but if I can remember where it is...' He kicked his horse into a brisk trot, glancing all around to get his bearings. 'Hurry,' he called over his shoulder, 'I'll never find it in the dark.'

* * *

Kel was enjoying a hot beef stew. After years of army rations, the rich, salty flavouring was something to be savoured. There was an increase in the hubbub of chatter. Looking casually round she dropped her spoon in shock.

'Oh no, no, no.' she muttered. There was no point even trying to hide; she had to cross the Vassa tonight. Kel got up, setting aside the stew she'd been enjoying and started towards them. Wolset was the first to spot her. He nudged Dom, who looked up, an expression of utter relief on his face.

Dom broke away from the group and half ran towards Kel. Without pausing to even speak, he had gathered Kel to him and was kissing her fervently. For as long as the moment lasted Kel didn't care that they were in front of a room full of people, in front of her year-mates, Dom's squad and whoever else had been crazy enough to follow her, it was just she and Dom that mattered. When they broke apart, Dom said in a strangled voice; 'Don't ever scare me like that again.'

Kel looked away from his eyes, not going to make a promise she wasn't sure she could keep.

'I have to go after them-' she began.

Dom touched a large, rough finger to her lips. 'We're not here to stop you. Raoul sent us to help. Well, he sent my boys, Neal and the others tagged along.'

Kel groaned, 'I never wanted them to commit treason too.'

'Hello Squire Kel,' said Corporal Fulcher. 'Fancy seeing you here.' Several other men greeted her cheerfully, then smirked at Dom who still had one arm firmly around Kel.

Neal and the older man he'd been conversing with, joined the group surrounding Kel.

'Moon'll be up soon,' grunted the older man. 'We'll take you across then. Gonna need several trips though.' He left them.

'Do you even know how many laws you're breaking?' Kel scowled. 'You'll lose your jobs, your shields, maybe even your life. You took oaths to the Crown, and you-' she pointed at Owen, 'You're breaking yours to Lord Wyldon. Go back all of you, you don't want to get mixed up in...' she trailed off.

'Mixed up in what?' replied Neal, arching his slanted brows.

'Mixed up in this attempt at a rescue,' Kel covered quickly.

'You can't possibly think that you can rescue them all single-handed?' said Merric incredulously.

'No,' replied Kel, frustrated, 'But you're needed at Mastiff, all of you. What of the twenty companies rumoured to be heading to Mastiff in four days?'

'You need us more,' said Owen firmly.

'They were our people to guard, our friends,' Sergeant Connac said gruffly. 'We'll not stand by and watch them carried off by them Scanrans.'

'You see, it makes sense,' reasoned Owen. 'You'll get used to the idea.'

'You needed our help before and we failed.' Dom spoke quietly.

'We're not letting you run off again.' The barely concealed emotion in Neal's statement made Kel feel wretched. She looked around at the smiling faces, eager to be on the road, eager for adventure. Scanra was a harsh mistress, she hoped that they'd still be smiling when they were done. She nodded in defeat. At least having help would probably keep her alive long enough to contact Alex.

'Excellent,' said Sergeant Connac briskly. 'Onwards to Scanra.'

As they settled down to wait for moonrise, Kel slipped out from Dom's embrace, feeling uncomfortable.

'How did you find me?' asked Kel. 'Did you do some sort of tracking spell?'

'It was by complete chance actually,' replied Seaver. 'Neal led us here, Lord Raoul told us to get to Scanra as quickly as possible and find your trail there.'

Kel turned to Neal, her eyebrows raised. The healer shrugged, 'The Lioness has some interesting friends.'

_George Cooper, of course. _Thought Kel.

'How did _you _know it was here?'

'I had a friend with interesting friends,' Kel answered vaguely.

After a few minutes Neal commented, 'So you're still courting then?'

Dom and Kel nodded in confirmation.

'I knew it,' said Neal knowledgeably.

'No you didn't,' scoffed Dom.

'I did to.' Kel only half listened to the argument that ensued. She was thinking how lucky she was to have such loyal friends, even if it was going to make it a lot more difficult to contact the rebel Scanrans -how much could she, or should she reveal?

* * *

It took half the night for the smugglers to boat all twenty eight soldiers and horses into Scanra. Kel went over in the first boat and stood impatiently on the far bank, her mind furiously planning the best course of action. By the time the last horse had been ferried across she had decided where they would go.

Thanking the Tortallan men that had carried them across safely, and rewarding them generously with gold from a purse Raoul had given Dom, they mounted up.

'We'll head for those hills,' Kel gestured to rolling humps of land just visible through the starry night. 'We'll rest when we get there, it'll be safer.'

'I think we should head back west,' argued Merric. 'We need to pick up the refugees trail and we know they crossed further downstream.'

'Kel's in charge here,' said Dom warningly. 'She makes the decisions.'

Merric opened his mouth to reply. Not wanting the knight to make any comments about her relationship with Dom, Kel interrupted the impending argument. 'We head for those hills because on the other side is a large plain. We'll be able to see anything moving down there and with a bit of luck we'll have caught up some distance on the Scanrans.'

They rode for the hills.

* * *

Exhausted from the ride and sweating in the early-morning sunshine, they arrived at the base of the hills. Sticking to woodland so as to be less conspicuous, Kel found a sheltered hollow where they could rest.

'I want three sentries at all times,' she instructed. Kel insisted on taking the first watch, but after an hour woke one of the convict soldiers to relieve her, so that she could snatch a few much-needed hours of sleep. She curled up next to Prince as a much younger version of herself had always used to do.

It was late afternoon when the group moved on again. Sentries cautiously crested the hill and then signalled that it was safe. Kel and several other men shinned up trees. A plain stretched before them, illuminated magnificently by the red glow of the sinking sun. Sure enough, in the distance and to the west, there were the specks of a train of soldiers and other civilians.

Kel reported back to her men. 'We wait until it's dark, then they'll be some hard riding to cross the plain under the cover of darkness. The country where they're headed is rambling and sheltered. This'll be our chance to catch their trail.

Whilst some men rested, others foraged for food. Late autumnal berries and several varieties of mushrooms were the only fruits of this labour. Several soldiers had wanted to go hunting until Kel pointed out that cooking the meat would be a bad idea; the plume of smoke would show anyone who cast an eye to the hill their exact location. They ate oatcakes and dried beef too, Kel glad that the others had brought along food since she hadn't been able to.

After about six hours solid riding through the night, and navigating by the direction on the compass only, they reached more woods. Kel daren't ride on any further in the darkness; the refugees trail must be around somewhere and she didn't want to go haring off in the wrong direction, or worse straight into an enemy camp. They stopped, much to the relief of their tired horses.

* * *

Alex and the six men helping him had searched Hastanne from top to bottom. They'd not left one outlying village unturned. It hadn't been easy; as one of the clans that Maggur had initially taken control of, there were military buildings, barracks and trainee soldiers everywhere.

Retreating to an abandoned farmstead late on night, they concluded that Blacye couldn't possibly be hidden in Hastanne.

'No one's had even a whiff of sorcery, most don't even know the magic killers exist,' sighed Tor, running his one remaining hand through his over-grown blond hair.

'The only iron imports go directly to the forge. I've poked all around it, and whilst they're churning out scarily large numbers of swords, axes and shields, there simply isn't room for them to be assembling metal monsters.' Another one of Alex's fighters spoke up.

They cooked dinner dispiritedly and ate as much as they could manage; it was hard to know when the next meal would come and after their experiences of nearly starving to death in the northern forests, each wanted to store up as much energy as possible.

Alex sat in the corner, staring out at the impossibly infinite blackness of the sky above. He had hoped it wouldn't come down to this; he had been avoiding returning to his birthplace for fear of what he would find there. The castle he'd grown up in, the villages and woods he'd played in as a child might not even be there anymore. Rathhausak might no longer exist and in it's place might stand a giant barracks or fortress. It might be exactly as he left it. It might be home to Blacye the Gallan, their target. He sighed, feeling exhausted with the strain and burdens of leading such an impossible mission. Everything took so long to carry out, months of planning, months of travelling. The war was accelerating at such a pace that Alex feared they might be too late. Taking a deep breath, he said;

'We ride for Rathhausak at dawn.'

* * *

They tracked the refugees for the better part of the morning, up and down rocky bluffs and across fields, past abandoned farm houses. Kel always had sentries riding ahead, behind and either side of the main group, feeling like she couldn't be too careful in such unknown country. Kel had few memories of this place. The last time she'd been travelling south and most recollections were unpleasant; she had been injured, tired, worried for Alex and eating raw rabbits because she was so hungry.

A sentry rode back to the group and Kel was instantly on the alert.

'We found, well, you'd best come and see,' said Lofren seriously. Five hundred metres further down the trail, a man hung from a nearby tree, purple-faced and buzzing with flies.

'I think this is where they must've made camp,' commented Dom, scouting around and kicking at the ashy-remnants of fires.

Kel swallowed. She recognised the man as one she'd trained at Greenwoods.

'That's Bert, he was a basket maker,' said Neal in an odd voice.

Kel dismounted, shooed away the flies and got out her knife. She reached up and began to saw away the knotted cord. Others helped her to catch the man as he fell, not yet cold, into her arms. They shut his eyes and covered him with a few leafy branches, not able to spare the time to bury him properly.

Neal said the prayers quickly and they moved on. The trail led to a road, and they paused for a quick lunch of cold sausage whilst Kel, Dom, Merric and Neal consulted the maps.

'The Smiskir Road,' read out Merric. 'This winds it's way north _forever.'_

'We'd best hope this mage isn't based too far north, else we won't be back before the snows come!' Commented Dom, pouring over the map that detailed the vast country.

Continuing on their journey, they followed the road, riding at the foot of the hills and in forests as much as possible. Mid-afternoon Owen came haring back to Kel reporting twenty-five armed men, marching down the road towards them.

Now Kel faced a very hard decision. These men were on their way to the border, surely they owed it to the Tortallans to try and reduce the number of enemy. On the other hand, their mission was to rescue the refugees and if a single soldier escaped then they could have an army hunting them down, not a prospect that Kel was keen on.

The men were looking to her to lead them.

'We can take them,' said Owen eagerly.

Kel beckoned them closer, a plan forming in her mind.

'If we can draw them into a trap, drive them up against the rocks, then this might work,' she said slowly. 'Not a single one can escape. Kill the officers and anyone else you have to. The others might surrender once they see they're surrounded.'

'And if they don't?' said Neal quietly.

'Then we don't leave any survivors,' Kel said grimly, hoping desperately that it wouldn't come to that.

She set her troops in place, thinking of a thousand things that could go wrong with this plan and trying to think up solutions to every eventuality. Kel tethered Prince loosely in the treeline with several other horses. If they were to get close enough to the Scanrans for the trap to work, they'd have to hide flat on their bellies in bushes.

Fortunately the Scanran troops were complacent and didn't have any scouts trawling the foliage on either side of the stony road. As the men drew closer, marching in step, Kel waited next to Merric, barely daring to breathe. As the Scanrans drew level, Kel, Merric and the convict soldiers leapt from the bushes. Before the Scanrans had even realised what was happening, two of the officers had been killed. As they scrambled to a fighting formation, Dom and Sergeant Connac charged from the woods on horseback. The sight of eighteen mounted men, caused the Scanrans to scatter. Spreading their horses wide, the Tortallans drove the Scanrans back against the cliff.

About four red-tunic garbed soldiers rushed towards Kel at once. She dispatched three of them mercilessly and turned to see Seaver had chased down and stabbed the other. Kel hollered and drew her men back several metres. Several Scanrans tried to make a break for it and were instantly cut down. The others were hovering, backs pressed into the rock and desperately looking for a way out.

'Surrender,' Kel barked in Scanran. 'Drop your weapons.' The twelve or so men left, held onto their swords, undecided. 'Drop your weapons and live, or fight and die.' She spoke loudly and clearly, hoping that she didn't sound to fluent in the language.

There was a pause and then blessedly, the first sword dropped, then another and another. Kel pushed up her helm and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

'Helmets off,' she ordered, 'hands in the air and kick your swords away.'

The convict soldiers stepped forward and gathered up the swords. Kel signalled for Dom and Sergeant Connac to hold their position; just in case a foolish man tried to bolt.

She walked forward and removed her helmet so that she could talk to them face to face.

'What's you name?' She spoke to the first captive.

'Herrun,' the man replied, his eyes wide and terrified.

'Which clan do you hail from?'

'Moshaus.'

Kel went asked each and every man, discovering that they originated from the length and breadth of Scanra. The seventh man along hailed from Somalkt and Kel's heart skipped a beat. She didn't think she knew the man, and he wasn't showing signs of recognising her, so she continued.

She surveyed them as a whole.

'Your clans, all of you, were free men living in this harsh, beautiful country,' Kel began. 'Each and every clan you've mentioned was stolen, destroyed or tricked by Maggur, the man whose army you serve.'

Not one man spoke.

'You-,' Kel addressed the seventh man. 'Were you not there when blood soaked the plains of Somalkt, when blazebalm smashed into your home, when the almighty gates came crashing down?' She spat on the floor for effect. 'And yet you serve this dog.'

'Had no choice,' retorted the man, his indignance breaking through the scared silence. 'We're slaves conscripted to the army.'

'Now I'm giving you a choice,' said Kel. 'We fight Maggur, we're going after his pet sorcerer who is using your children, the children of Scanra to make metal killing machines.'

'The enemy-killers?' asked one man curiously.

'So you've seen them then?' Kel rounded on him. 'Well did your officers tell you that for each one a child is murdered, murdered and their spirit enslaved.'

The men looked sideways at each other, obviously startled by this information.

'We're going after these _childkillers_ and we could use all the help we can get. My friend back there is a mage. He can release you from your army bonds. He'll curse you so that if you ever betray us you'll die. Then you have a choice, run and hide somewhere or stand up and fight for your homeland.'

Silence followed this speech. Kel, feeling like Alex would've done a much better job at trying to recruit people for the cause than she had done, held her breath and waited. None of the men wanted to be the one to say everything.

'Neal,' Kel beckoned. 'Can you release them from their slave bond?' She had switched back to Common.

Aided by Bill, the mage in Dom's squad, they removed the slavers' magic. Kel had the men make blood oaths; oaths that they wouldn't betray her or give away their location. She then sorted her men into formation, sent scouts on their way; they'd lost precious time.

The Scanrans were muttering furiously amongst themselves, some of them looking astonished that they were still alive. Three men made their way cautiously over to Kel, one of them the one from Somalkt.

'We have decided to fight for you,' he spoke firmly, even though his expression displayed his uncertainty. 'Maggur destroyed all that we treasured. In the process of uniting our homeland he's torn it apart. If this is our opportunity for revenge, let us take it.'

Kel nodded approvingly. They had but two spare horses along with them, in case of lameness; they hadn't time to look after spare mounts for everyone. It was agreed that the Scanrans could take turn riding them, the horseless man having to jog after them.

Zerhek, Ralsh and Mynt spoke little which suited Kel who was vainly attempting to disguise just how good her grasp of the Scanran language was.

That evening they finally caught sight of the refugee's captors. They had set up camp a short distance from the Smiskir road. Kel sent two of Dom's men off as scouts; the camp looked as though it had been set up for several days rather than several hours.

They waited for the scouts return in tense silence, Kel churning over ideas in her mind. They were severely outnumbered and to charge into the camp would be suicide. She had to change the odds, but how? They had refugees inside the camp who would help, if only they could be freed. Archers could pick off the sentries silently and easily.

'We reckon there's near two hundred of them,' one scout reported back to Kel. 'But only half of them are soldiers, the rest seem to be slave-traders.'

'Two hundred!' Neal's face was pale in the dim afternoon light.

'We can do this,' said Kel more confidently than she felt, 'If we approach this the right way...'

She spent the next twenty minutes outlining the plan that had only just taken shape in her mind. It was devious, and fraught with things that could go wrong. The men didn't like the plan, Kel didn't care. This just might work...

Thirty minutes later, dressed in a skirt, dusty and seemingly unarmed, Kel stumbled into the slave-traders camp.

* * *

Dun, dun duhhhh!

I didn't mean to leave it on a cliff-hanger, I really didn't. But this chapter had grown far too long to do justice to all the adventures ahead. Please review and motivate me to fit writing around hours of hockey and neurobiology lectures!

Much love to you, wherever you may be!

**Confusedknight** xxx


	72. The burden of hope

-a/n- Again, this chapter starts with an apology. Uni is exhausting and my writing has been sporadic. Thanks to every lovely person who reviewed, especially to those new readers who review older chapters too! It means so much to hear your thoughts and opinions :D

Oh my word, I've just noticed that Friday was Fallen's 4th birthday! Eek. Mega thanks to you if you've stuck with it from the beginning!

Confusedknight xx

* * *

Kel wiped her sweaty palms on the rough skirt that they'd hastily sewn together from a saddle blanket. It was heavy and itchy but fortunately was shapeless enough to hide the various implements that were strapped to her thighs.

Through her anxiety Kel felt slightly guilty. Commanders were meant to lead their men, not go haring off on a risky mission. She had abused her leadership position into persuading Neal and Dom to let her go. They'd both begged for her to reconsider, but Kel had stuck firm. Now was the time to act, to use whatever experience and skill she had, to take risks and ultimately rescue as many refugees as she could.

Of course, Kel's friends didn't know that she had years of experience dealing with Scanran slavers and soldiers. They didn't know the extent of her grasp of the language, that she'd already been branded, had been a slave before. Most probably thought that she'd lost her head in her desperation to save the kidnapped.

Kel saw a sentry raising a crossbow, pointing straight at her. Kel hoped that the fact that she was a woman would stop them from shooting on sight.

'Please, please,' she called out in Scanran. 'Help me, help me.' She continued to stumble towards the guards, hunching her shoulders and mimicking the actions of someone who'd been on the road for days.

'Water, I need water, and food,' Kel moaned, dropping to her knees before the soldier.

'What are you doing here?' asked the taller guard suspiciously.

'Master dead, ambush,' Kel panted, her hands grasping for the man's water gourd. 'Walking...ever...since.' Her hands flailed uselessly.

'Take her to Broskn,' barked the guard, whose uniform showed him to be the more senior of the two.

The tall guard hauled her to her feet and shoved her forwards. Kel walked meekly along, dragging her feet, playing the part of Selyn the lost slave girl. She immersed herself in Selyn, in the story she'd created; a lifetime of slavery, a downtrodden meek woman, not possibly a threat.

'Is this another one to make an example of?' asked a paunchy man, scratching his beard absentmindedly.

'No, Meister Broskn, we just found her. Wandered right into our camp.'

'You found her? he asked disbelievingly.

The guard shoved Kel forwards and she let herself tip uselessly forwards, landing heavily on her knees.

'Well where did you come from?'

'We were travelling through Dundine,' Kel mumbled, cowering on the floor. Something hit the side of her face like a sledge hammer. Kel reeled backwards, spots dancing in her vision, the taste of blood welling in her mouth.

'Look at me when I ask you a question,' he said, almost lazily.

Kel brought her eyes up to meet his hard brown ones, trying to make sure her expression was one of fear and not disgust.

'I was with me master Vischnauct, travelling through Dundine,' Kel whimpered. 'We were attacked at night, sir. I was washing the lady's things in the stream, I was. I knew they died cos my collar fell off.' Kel let her voice die to a raspy whisper.

The slave dealer wrenched her sleeve up her arm, revealing the old but visible marks of her slave brand.

'Not one of ours,' he grunted. He looked Kel up and down. 'We'll not get a bad price for her either.' He reached for a water gourd at his hip. 'Throw her in with the Tortallan lot. We'll write some papers and get her sold at Miltrak.' Turning away, Broskyn went back to whatever he'd been doing before he'd been interrupted.

'Come on,' said the guard in a bored voice. 'There'll likely be some water for you in the slave pens.'

Kel kept her head down so that a curtain of hair hid her face; she didn't want any of the refugees to react in a way that would cast suspicions over who she claimed to be. As the door slid shut behind her, Kel shuffled forward. After half a minute she glanced back; the guard on the gate was not paying any attention to what was occurring in the pen. Kel slid her gaze, searching the refugees faces.

At first many didn't recognise her, bloody and dressed as she was. Puzzled, surprised and then excited faces began to appear all around her. Kel pulled a face of extreme caution and shook her head frantically. A low murmuring broke out. Kel hoped that the guard would attribute this to her being a new arrival rather than anything else.

To her relief she saw the lady she was looking for. Kel made eye contact with Fanche and then walked pointedly to the big trough where they were able to drink. Kel pretended to be desperately thirsty and splashed water at her face, waiting for Fanche to arrive.

The elder woman's expression was one of wonderment. 'If I ask will you give me an answer?' she said, finally.

Kel smiled painfully, 'You didn't think I'd let Scanrans go haring off with our people did you?'

'And what of Mr fancy Lord, the one you're serving?'

Kel's face fell slightly, but she set it determinedly. 'He's been charged with protecting the whole of Tortall from the biggest army that's threatened it in living memory. My task for this war is...different. Getting you all back to Tortall alive to start with.'

'They've taken our children, all the little 'uns. Stenmun and his army marched off with them.'

'Stenmun?' Kel breathed.

'Aye' Fanche spat on the floor. 'A blonde giant, likes of which you've never seen.'

_Oh I've seen him alright_, thought Kel, who was pretty sure that it had been Stenmun who'd shattered her wrist on the plains of Somalkt.

Kel's heart had fallen upon learning that the children had already been taken. Blayce obviously didn't like to work with adult spirits and had handed over the rest of the Tortallan's to be sold. She shook herself mentally. It was no use worrying, she couldn't do anything for the children until they'd escaped from the camp, which in itself was going to take an awful lot of luck.

'How many?' Kel directed her thoughts back to Fanche.

'There's near one hundred guards,' the older woman estimated, 'And similar numbers of slave traders. Just over two hundred of us, but some hurt and no weapons between us.'

Kel and Fanche retreated to a corner of the pens where they were hidden from the view of the guards. Kel had to relay the plan quickly, and yet not in a way that would rouse suspicion.

From inside her breastband Kel withdrew several pouches of herbs. They were designed to induce sleep, usually for medicinal purposes. The pouches were handed along from woman to woman, until they reached those who'd be serving the men that night.

Kel handed lockpicks to the convict soldiers; when it was dark they could unchain all the men who'd been shackled at the ankles.

'The others will take care of the first shift of guards and won't move in until the second ones have come to relieve them. It's a safe way of disposing of sixteen odd men.' Kel grimaced; the odds still weren't good. The two daggers she had strapped to either thigh were the only weapons they had.

'The most important thing for when the others come charging in, is that those of you able to fight have weapons,' Kel mused.

She spent most of the afternoon mulling over different possibilities. Despite being urged not to, some of the refugees couldn't help but coming over to greet her in low tones. There was fear and suffering in every face, yet when they spoke, Kel could feel their burning desire for freedom, their hope.

It was a crushing burden to realise that two-hundred people's sole hopes of freedom rested on her shoulders. She wondered how Alex could bear the pressure of having the peace and lives of millions dependent on his success.

The sun crept lower in the sky and Kel joined the group that had been assigned to cooking duties. Ideally they'd just shove Neal's magical herbs into the food dish and drug everyone, but Neal had warned Kel about diluting the magic too much. It would only work for about twenty men.

Night came slowly, Kel's heart beat rapidly as she observed the men retiring to camp fires in their own quarters, marching off for sentry duty and returning to their tents. Kel mixed up the herbs into jugs of tea and ale and went around serving the men camped near the slave pens. She made careful note of who didn't drink; who she'd have to see to personally.

Sleepiness overtook the men, who trudged back to their tents, complaining that they were spending another night on the road. Kel spotted that the keeper of the slave pens was coming to return the fifteen serving women to the cages for the night. She offered a cup of tea to a soldier who hadn't yet drunk, winking flirtatiously. With a lingering touch on his arm, Kel hoped she was conveying her willingness to accompany him to bed.

A smug grin breached the soldier's spotty face. He stood up, grabbing Kel by the arm. 'She's with me,' he told the slave trader, smirking.

'Well return her when you've finished,' the man replied, unconcernedly.

Her skin crawling, Kel followed the man into his tent. As his back was turned, doing up the tent's fastenings, she reached under her skirt and slipped a dagger out. The soldier was turning around, loosening his breeches. Repulsed, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, Kel lay down and tucked the dagger beneath the small of her back, wishing it was Courage. _Yes_, she told herself, _have courage_.

The nameless man was now approaching, crawling over, on top of her, his hand sliding up her bare leg. Kel's right hand reached for the dagger, she pivoted, rolling so that he was beneath her, Kel struck out and plunged her dagger into the back of his neck, driving the sharp blade until it was buried in his brainstem. The man died silently and Kel scrambled backwards, trembling from head to toe.

After a couple of minutes of staring at the dead man's face repulsed, Kel's trembling hands removed her dagger and cleaned it on the man's shirt. She rooted around in his possessions, finding a sword, an axe and three knives, which she piled by the front of the tent, just inside the flap.

Kel filled her mind with the faces of the children she knew were being spirited deeper into Scanra, for the fate that awaited them when they got to Blacye. She thought of Alex, how she had to get out of this perilous situation and find him. Finally she sent up a prayer to the Goddess, '_Don't judge me too harshly,'_ she thought, and slipped out of the tent.

Dark had truly fallen, and it was by the starlight that Kel walked over to the next tent. She slipped inside. It's occupant was sleeping soundly and Kel killed him swiftly, silently. Piling the weapons at the doorway to the tent, she left.

On and on she went, whittling down the Scanran forces, until her mind was numb to the pain of it all. Whenever she reached a tent with an awake soldier, she pretended she was prepared to bed him to let herself get close enough for the killing shot.

There was a huge risk involved; one cry would raise the alarm. All it would take would be for one man to discover one of the soldiers dead in their tents before all of chaos's realm broke loose. When the thirty tents nearest the slave pens had all been silenced, she made her way back to the other slaves. At her signal, Lorrein, a hedgewitch, cast a sleeping charm over both guards, making it easy for Kel to finish them off. Kel selected her five helpers and sent them off to silently collect the weapons she'd harvested for them. None of them commented on the manner in which they'd found the dead.

Weapons were passed around until nearly everyone was armed.

'Why don't we take them on now?' Hissed a blacksmith, swinging his new axe experimentally.

'It'd be foolish in this dark,' replied Kel. 'You'd barely see friend from foe. No, we wait until first light, that's when the other soldiers will ride in to help us.'

Kel waited on tenterhooks for the rest of the night, now that the refugees were armed it would be foolish to risk raising the alarm in an attempt to kill more Scanrans whilst they slept. Their best chance now lay in catching the soldiers and slave traders by surprise when the others charged in at first light.

The inky blackness of the sky had lessened, but the sun was still not visible when Kel's reinforcements rode into the camp. She was there to meet them, her hand reaching for Courage.

From then on it was a blur to Kel. The refugees, knights, and men of the Own hacked through tents to find flesh, faced the Scanran soldiers that ran at them. Kel yelled for Sergeant Connac's squad to circle the camp to check that none escaped, she set a band of thirty refugees to guard the horses, so that no Scanrans mounted up. Kel wielded Courage with her usual deadly force, throwing herself into the exercise with such a ferocity that she could temporarily forget the night before.

The last Scanran died and a great cheer rose amongst the refugees. They were clapping each other on the back, thanking the rescue party endlessly. Neal and the other healers set about healing the Tortallan wounded. Mercifully they'd only lost two refugees in the skirmish and Kel thanked the Gods that the toll wasn't higher.

As Kel went to join the party that were checking that the dead were truly so, she saw a thin woman with mousy hair hacking violently at a guard who'd long since died. Kel remembered her name; Peliwin Archer.

'He's dead,' said Kel gently, her voice thick. 'Enough.' She wrested the long-sword from tight clutches of the woman's fingers.

Peliwin's eyes were full of despair as they met Kel's. A purple bruise vividly marred her pretty face and there were bruises around her neck and wrists.

'He hurt me,' she croaked, confusion and misery mingled in her face.

Kel caught the girl as she stumbled forward, sobbing.

'Shhh,' Kel soothed, knowing that nothing she said could help the poor girl.

* * *

Neal watched Kel pensively from amidst the groups of people milling about. They'd rescued around one hundred and eighty from the clutches of the Scanran slavers; a tremendous feat when considering how they'd only left Tortall with a band of twenty-nine. And yet Neal couldn't help feeling that actually, without Kel's planning and infiltration of the camp, they'd have never pulled it off.

He took in his friend's ragged appearance; from her straggly shoulder-length hair, framing a bruised face down to the rough, blood-stained clothes she was dressed in. Kel had her arms around a woman, comforting and soothing her. Despite her noble birth, Kel could blend in with the war-worn commoners all around her.

Neal still had trouble believing how tough Kel was, had trouble recognising where exactly the Kel he knew had disappeared to. He'd heard Connac reporting quietly to Merric of the soldiers that lay in their tents, throats sliced mercilessly.

The calm, composed warrior he'd once know was replaced by someone constantly on the edge, alert, guarding her thoughts and feelings from everyone around her. Had she planned all along to slip into the camp and kill them all where they lay? Is that how she'd planned to regain the lost refugees? If it was then maybe she hadn't need their help after all.

Questions and discrepancies nagged at Neal's over-analysing brain. Why had she been so quick to enrol the help of the other captives, letting them live, when they'd left not a single slave trader alive? She seemed to be so sure, so set on her path. She didn't think like a warrior anymore, if anyone, Kel reminded him of George and his immense ability for analysing situations and taking advantage of weaknesses or assumptions. Not for the first time Neal wondered whether Kel hadn't travelled here before. He'd seen her slave number, had she spent her years held captive by some barbaric clan chief?

'We ought to get as many people in the saddle as possible and just go,' muttered Merric in his ear, making Neal jump.

'I'm waiting for Kel to organise this lot,' replied Neal, a slight frown upon his face.

'Well I'm just saying that the longer we linger, the more dangerous this whole circus becomes,' replied Merric, shifting from foot to foot impatiently. 'Come on, lets go see what our orders are.'

As he followed the red-headed knight, Neal had the distinct impression that Merric was slightly disgruntled about following Kel's orders, the orders of a squire. _Not that she's led us wrong thus far_, thought Neal, again amazed by what they'd just achieved. A rescue mission, behind enemy lines, it was almost ballad worthy.

'Kel we should really get moving,' Merric pointed out.

Neal watched his younger friend pass the lady she was comforting into the care of another, pause ever-so slightly to fix her expression into a calm, emotionless canvas and then square up to Merric.

'Yes,' Kel agreed. 'You should leave soon. Follow the route by which we came and try to stick to cover as much as possible. You should be able to travel quite fast, there are plenty of horses here for the refugees to share. Get them back safely.'

'What do you mean "_you_ should leave soon"?' Demanded Owen, from over Kel's shoulder.

'Stenmun took the little ones yesterday,' Kel explained dully. Close-to, Neal thought she looked exhausted.

'Then we'll all go after him,' exclaimed Owen gallantly. 'There's over two hundred of us now.'

'No,' Kel replied. 'This is no army. These are civilians, farmers, woodworkers, they are under our protection and you must get them back safely. I'll do what I can for the children, but here and now, two hundred people need safe passage back to Tortall.'

'My orders were to stay with you.' Neal's cousin joined the gathering, his blue eyes stubborn. There was no way Dom would abandon his lover in this hostile territory.

'I'm afraid I too must remain with Kel,' Neal spoke airily. 'There need to be some brains on this mission.' Despite his light-hearted tone, he knew with a heavy finality that he was in this to the end, to wherever Kel might lead them.

'No, no, no,' said Kel loudly, her voice cracking slightly.

'Well you're not getting rid of me,' declared Owen.

'Nor me,' said a rough northern voice. Neal cast a glance to the heavy-lidded woman, Fanche Weir.

'You all need to go,' said Kel, almost desperately. 'This is _Scanra_; we could be discovered any minute.'

'Precisely, this is Scanra. So we're not about to leave without you,' Neal told his friend bluntly. 'Either you come back with us, or lead us on to wherever you're going.'

He watched her glaring round at them all, and saw her give in to the idea.

'Fine,' she snapped. Merric, you're in charge. Seaver and Sergeant Connac's men will help you. Get these people out of this country.'

Merric opened his mouth to argue and then shut it again.

Neal glanced around at the band of those who would not abandon this troubled fighter to her impossible quest. Dom, sturdy and unwavering with his seven fighters behind him. Owen, whose round face shone at the prospect of more adventure. The three scanran soldiers hovering awkward and surly, and Fanche, toughened by the war, with her group of determined refugee fighters and convict soldiers. He then turned to Kel, who seemed to be staring into the distance at the peaked mountaintops that loomed there, and he smothered his concern that Kel might have other distractions on her mind.

* * *

Disgruntled as she was by the small group that had refused to leave her, Kel couldn't help but feel comforted by their presence. Now that Stenmun had lost the refugees and wagons that had been slowing him down, his band of men and captive children were travelling faster, with everyone mounted, judging by the tracks they were following. Kel pressed on, determined that they should make up ground between them and their quarry.

The sky had been growing steadily darker all day and Kel's thoughts were as bleak as the unfamiliar landscape. The first spots of rain hit Kel's nose and she knew that they were in for a long day ahead.

She was tired, bone weary from the constant state of alert, from having stayed up all night as well as wrestling with the emotional drain of what she'd done. Squinting through the sheets of summer rain, Kel couldn't help but envisage the lifeless faces, feeling over and over the slick feeling of her dagger driven into neck after neck.

Would Alex have justified her severe actions? They had been slave traders, whom Kel, based on past experience ranked even lower than common mercenaries, but even so, it was human lives that she had stolen without giving them the chance to fight back.

Tears slid from her hazel eyes, immediately washed away by the rain pouring down her face, dripping off her nose. The incessant sheets of water had plastered her hair to her head, had soaked through her shirt and the breeches she'd changed into. But not even the deluge could wash away the feeling of blood on her hands.

Eventually, as it was nearly dark, it was Neal who called a halt to their riding. Kel didn't argue, most people looked to be nearly asleep in their saddles. Extracting herself from the saddle took an enormous amount of effort, but she managed it, landing with a squelch on the sodden ground.

They led their horses through the undergrowth until they came up against a sandstone cliff, pitted and eroded. Dom organised two of his men to take first sentry duty and helped to picket all the horses in the shelter of the trees.

Owen, who'd been remarkably subdued all day, let out a gleeful shout. 'Look at this.'

Having scrambled over a few loose boulders, he'd found a small, low-ceilinged cave. Neal shone a ball of magelight deep into the rock opening and saw no sign of human or animal habitation, except for a few spiders scurrying to get away from the emerald light.

The ten refugees, Dom's men, Neal and Owen hurried eagerly inside, out of the driving rain. Kel didn't follow, not sure she could bear the close proximity of everyone right now. Instead, as the others bustled about unloading saddle bags and setting out things to dry in the cave, Kel scrambled up an enormous boulder, and from there climbed onto a ledge. She traversed for ten metres or so before climbing up to an even higher perch, just level with the top of the tree line.

She peered out through the dark landscape, unable to distinguish any prominent features that might tell them where they were and how further Stenmun had travelled.

'Kel?' Dom's voice sounded distant, muffled by the downpour and the trees.

Kel leant back against the weathered cliff-face and slid down until she sat with her knees bent, face-upturned to the deluge.

She heard their swords grating against the rock face and their heavy breathing before she turned her gaze towards the two men shuffling onto her ledge.

'Well,' said Neal, breaking the silence, 'This would be a lovely viewpoint if it wasn't dark and _raining_.'

Kel sighed, and trying to make her voice sound as normal as possible said 'I just wanted some peace and quiet to think.'

'About what?' Inquired Dom gently.

Something, already stretched tight with stress, splintered inside Kel.

'Oh I don't know, maybe about what we're doing tomorrow, where we're headed. How on earth we're going to rescue a couple of hundred children with only a dozen swords. How I need to come up with a plan for every unforeseeable circumstance, to weigh up the consequences of every action. The places we're headed, the people we're up against, you just don't get it.'

'Then tell us,' said Neal quite calmly. 'Tell us about Scanra.'

'I've been trying!' exclaimed Kel, 'But none of you will listen to me, you all insisted on coming along-'

'I meant,' said Neal cutting across her tirade swiftly, 'The Scanra you experienced when you ran away from Tortall.' Neal's words were like a punch to the chest.

'I-'

'Don't,' Neal interrupted her again. 'Do we not deserve the truth Kel? We've both seen your slave brand, the injuries you've sustained over the years. You speak Scanran, your blade has a Scanran inscription on and if Prince isn't Scanran-bred then I'll eat my shirt. You know this country Kel, and what's more you understand it's people. Have we not proved over and over that we trust you with our lives? Why do you not trust us in return?'

'Because,' said Kel, finding her voice at last. 'Parts of the story are not mine to tell. I didn't just get captured and made a slave...' She paused and rubbed her face with one sopping sleeve. 'No, it started before I even became a page.'

Neal was about to interrupt but was silenced by a quick 'Shhh!' from Dom, who was staring intently at Kel.

'It started, I suppose, with the destruction of a family, with Maggur when he tore apart the Rathhausak clan and took control. Through sneakery and brute strength he then overcame Miltrak and Hastanne, two of the largest fighting clans. Then he waited, building up an army. From there he destroyed smaller clans, making examples of them. Some clans offered their allegiance out of greed or fear, others stood up to the growing power and were slaughtered because of it.

Few could see the larger picture of Maggur's takeover; Scanra is too large and the clans too separate. One group who did, who knew precisely where Maggur's campaign led, began to work against the warlord; gathering information, alerting those in danger, destroying Maggur's resources. Funded, in part at least, by the Tortallan crown.

I met one of these fighters in a northern village of Tortall, and persuaded them to take me on as an apprentice of sorts.' Kel paused, so far she'd only told the easy impersonal half of the tale. She forced herself to continue. 'I began by acting as a slave, gathering information in the capital Hamrkeng. I travelled, a lot. Across mountains and vast snowy plains, through villages massacred by soldiers. We fought Maggur, bought time for women and children to escape, opposed his mighty armies and witnessed the mass-scale slaughter of the men we led.

I worked on a slave plantation where lives were worth nothing except a few sliver bits. There were no healers, I saw plenty die in childbirth, others beaten to death because they were too exhausted to work for their supper. Imagine hundreds dying of infections that could easily be cured by a healer.

I was shot at, beaten, starved, burned, left for dead and nearly died so many times, that it seemed almost impossible I'd live to make it back to Tortall. During those years I met some of the most loathsome creatures to walk this earth, slave traders and men like Stenmun.' Kel took a shuddering breath, before the words continued to tumble out.

'And yet I also met wonderful people. Families that took me in as one of there own, men who respected my fighting and leadership even though I was a girl, and leaders that I'd lay down my life to follow. I discovered a rich culture; festivals and music that I'd never experienced before, fighters of calibre to match the most skilled knights and a place where your worth is not dictated by a social class system. There's so much in this country worth fighting for. With a decent king on the throne, one who would abolish slavery and bring peace between the two countries...' Kel's throat became too tight to speak of all that she hoped for the nation.

'So why did you come back?' asked Dom quietly.

Kel swallowed and replied, 'The Tortallan border must hold; the more power and land Maggur gains, the harder it'll be to stop him. Besides, if you'd seen what he's capable of, his brutality and disregard for human life...He's probably amassed the largest army Tortall's ever faced. And now-'

'Here we are,' said Dom slowly. 'Trying to save refugees, because if they're made into killing machines-'

'It's likely the border will fall,' Kel finished.

There was a tangible silence.

'Do they know you're here?' Asked Neal, 'The ones you fought with.'

Kel shook her head. 'They could be anywhere in Scanra. I had a stupid hope that I'd be able to find them and get help,' she said miserably, starting to shiver worse than ever. 'But we're on our own.'

* * *

The morning brought with it a sun that burned down, drying any residual damp from the previous day's downpour. Kel felt better in the bright new day, as though something inside her had been cleansed by talking to Neal and Dom. Relieved that they had accepted her story with little questioning, Kel had now to simply focus on the present, push back memories good and bad, and try to get them all out of this alive.

They followed Stenmun's trail, riding hard and praying that their mounts could hold the tough pace. Dogging Stenmun all day, Kel had her archers picking off sentries whenever they could get a clear shot. The Scanrans soon wised up to this and kept children alongside them, so that it was difficult for the Tortallans to shoot safely.

Kel knew that in light of their obvious presence, Stenmun had two choices; send men after the shooters or to ride as fast as he could to his destination. Luckily for Kel and the Tortallans, he chose the latter, which suggested to Kel that Blayce was nearby.

Eventually Kel had to call a halt to their journey. Both riders and mounts were plastered in sweat, and even Prince who had journeyed long distances before, was looking winded.

'There's no use in us catching up with Stenmun if our mounts are too lame to get us back to Tortall,' she told the band, somewhat unnecessarily. 'Unsaddle them properly, give them a good rub down and check all hooves.'

'My lady,' said Saefas, one of the group who'd accompanied Fanche. 'There's an army up ahead. Maybe two hundred strong.'

Kel's blood froze. 'Hold,' she hissed. 'Don't unsaddle yet, we may need to escape quickly.' She, Dom, Neal and Owen all followed Saefas through the thinning trees. They dropped to all fours and continued, low to the ground, until they could peer off the bluff into the valley below.

Sure enough, camped before them was a whole army bedecked in red, horses tethered here and there. Neal swore next to her. There was no way that they could get through the soldiers ahead. They'd have to divert for miles and miles, risking losing Stenmun's trail.

'The banners,' said Dom, slightly puzzled. 'They don't flap.'

Kel saw that he was right. 'Here, hand me a spy glass,' she requested.

Owen fished one out of his pocket. Kel examined the nearest reaches of the camp. Yes there were horses, tramping up and down on the spot, but Kel observed that no dust was kicked up by their hooves. Kel looked up into the soldier's impassive face. As she watched, not a single man moved, spoke or even altered their gaze.

'I think,' she said cautiously, 'That it's only an illusion.'

'But I can see their mages gifts,' hissed Neal.

'Look, actually look at them,' said Kel. 'They're hardly animate.'

After ten minutes or so of everyone examining the army, they decided that it was most probably an illusion. After a shortened rest, they proceeded, cautiously.

The closer they came to the army, the less real it became, and when they actually reached the tents, the image disappeared altogether.

'Well, it was the best illusion I'd ever seen,' grumbled Neal.

'There are some Scanran mages that specialise in illusion,' Kel said absentmindedly. 'They sometimes recreate images of historical events or of a fallen warriors deeds.'

In place of the fearsome army was a town, ramshackle and rotting. Houses had been gutted by fire, or simply abandoned altogether. It was quiet. Then, out of what might have once been an inn, exploded villagers armed with crossbows, scythes, axes and spears. Kel halted her men, sword drawn. Her eyes scanned the people and came to rest on a face that was unmistakably familiar.

'Peace,' Kel called in Scanran.

A girl, young and innocent, not more than eight years old, appeared from within the building. Within her grubby grasp was a floppy rag doll, made from brown sacking or suchlike. The child smiled, her eyes wide, innocent and knowing.

'This is the one alright,' she announced confidently, in her child's voice. 'The Protector of the Small, sister to the Leader, friend to the Fighter and the Spy both. She comes with justice, a royal horse, the great sword of Courage and her friends from abroad. Blayce will fall.'

* * *

Please review :D I've just finished uni for Christmas and will update much sooner!

Finally, because I wrote the vast majority of this chapter on Rembrance Sunday:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Peace,

Confusedknight xx


	73. Assault

-a/n- -Waves cheerily at everyone- How's this for a speedy update? Needless to say revision's going badly! (Although I did learn all about how the periaqueductal grey matter modulates descending systems that release endogenous opiates in times of stress, explaining why soldiers are sometimes able to continue fighting despite grievous injuries. And who says Neuroscience and fanfiction don't go together?)

I actually wrote this chapter on paper first, which was novel. I get less distracted writing in a notebook I've discovered, although typing it up afterwards was a mission.

Thanks so much to ye reviewers. I love hearing stories of how you stay up till crazy hours of the morning reading Fallen, or re-read the whole thing (something which I've yet to manage :P ) or print it out. With such wonderful readers how could I not be inspired to write?

Confusedknight xx

* * *

Kel was stunned. How in the name of the Divine realms did this young girl know so much about her?

'Irnai is a seer,' spoke one villager, observing the child with an expression that contained a mixture of fear and reverence. 'She arrived not two months back, telling us the "Protector of the Small" would rescue us from Blayce.'

'Then the gods have decreed that we shall succeed?' asked Owen, hopefully.

'Nothing is certain,' said a hollow-eyed man. 'The gods have forsaken these parts.'

'All is not lost,' said Kel, finding her voice at last. The idea of this young child having gifts she could not comprehend was disconcerting. 'We will rescue our little ones and then seek out this Blayce.'

'It's too late,' a dark lank-haired woman spoke, her face achingly familiar to Rhonda's. 'Stenmun has delivered his cargo to his master.'

Kel felt the blood draining from her face. 'Then we can't delay!' she half-cried, images of dead children and metal machines arising unbidden in her mind's eye.

'What are you planning?' Mocked a bitter man. 'Going to lay siege to castle Rathhausak with sixteen men, lady warrior?'

'Rathhausak?' breathed Kel, unable to stop herself.

'Aye, that's where the Gallan's been safely tucked away.'

A blonde man, who was but a shell of the muscular farmer he'd once been, spat on the ground. 'This is our gift from our Clan Chief - a monster who steals our crops and children.'

'He took _your_ children?' Inquired Neal in surprise.

'Aye,' the villagers turned their deadened eyes on the knight. 'At first just the sick were taken away to be "healed". Then the older children from towns all around here were selected. Eventually any babe or child would do.'

'We should've fled,' croaked an elder lady. 'But where would we go? Our clan dwindles, forsaken by our chief. Our men are away at war, we've no friends within a hundred leagues of this cursed place...'

'And now,' finished the man who seemed to be their leader. 'We are told that you will rid us of this...evil. Since no one else is going to save us, we'll help you as best we can.'

Neal and the others were glancing warily around at the poverty-stricken villagers. Now that Kel looked closely she could see that the vast majority were women, the men all older, some crippled whilst others were wan and faded.

They were invited inside the tumbled-down inn. No fire blazed in the grate and but a handful of chairs served to reveal the building's original purpose.

'This used to be the life and soul of this town,' said the dark-haired lady sadly. 'Now look at it.'

'If you don't mind me asking,' said Kel politely in Scanran as they sat down. 'But are you related to Rhonda?' The woman froze, her hands grasped convulsively in her lap. 'My late daughter.' She looked wonderingly at Kel. 'But how? You are Tortallan, are you not?'

'I had the privilege of fighting alongside your daughter in the North,' said Kel sadly. She swallowed. 'A more honourable woman I have not met,' she told the grieving mother honestly. Tears glittered in the older woman's eyes.

'She had a fire within her, that the wrong done here would be put right.'

Kel paused momentarily and then plunged recklessly on. 'I was there when she, when she died.' Her voice quavered just a little. 'She didn't lose her hope even then. She knew that people, that we, would always keep fighting to see justice done.' Kel grasped Rhonda's mother's cracked, knobbly hands. 'Hold onto that hope. We still fight. _He_ still fights.'

'Goddess guard you,' murmured the lady, tears spilling down her leathery cheeks. 'Avenge my daughter.'

'I intend to,' said Kel solemnly.

Somewhat awkwardly Kel returned to her men, all of whom were fishing about for the stale supplies that they had left; one look at the miniscule amounts of food available to the villagers had promptly stopped Neal's complaining about how fed up of rations he was.

'Blayce takes a harsh cut milady. We've scarce enough to feed our families. Those who don't give him what's due end up strung form the castle wall.' A man laughed bitterly. 'At least we no longer have to watch our children go hungry.'

Kel's stomach turned. This was Alex's home, his birthright. She couldn't imagine Mindelan's people ever treated so, and realised just how awful it would be for Alex to see his childhood home in such a state.

'How long has he been here?' asked Dom through a mouthful of noodles.

'Near four years.' The Scanran shook his head. At first we complained to Maggur, our clan chief, but he had ten people hung just as an example of what happened to those who displeased him. He let Blayce clear our the town and every village roundabouts of our little ones. Then he sent in slave children, hundreds of them. The King no longer cares for his clan.'

'It wasn't his clan to rule,' said Kel, anger and hatred simmering in her voice.

'You are acquainted with our history?' The man asked in grim surprise.

'Enough to know that there is a rightful heir to the Clan,' Kel replied shortly.

'And yet he too has abandoned us to the Mage,' the man pointed out. Kel wanted to protest, to explain the extent of Alex's task, but she had to bite back her retort; there were too many listening to their conversation for that sort of talk.

'How many of you are able to bear arms?' Kel enquired, changing the subject abruptly.

'Few,' wheezed a balding man who leaned heavily on a cane. 'Our fighters are off in the armies and the few young'uns have no weapons but sticks and bows; the Mage confiscated them all.'

'But, we know a way inside the keep.' This startling declaration came from Rhonda's mother. 'I was the cook up there before Blacye found me too old for the job. I can show you a way in, at night mind.'

'Agrane-' cautioned another Scanran.

'I know the castle better than anyone,' she shot him down. 'Tonight you will have you chance to retrieve your young.'

'He could be killing them now,' protested Owen, slightly paler than usual.

'He won't be,' Agrane assured the squire. 'He'll cook them a nice mean, dress them in finery -'

Kel couldn't listen anymore to how Blayce played with his victims.

'I need to think,' she announced. Darting through the milling villagers, refugees and soldiers Kel exited the inn. She trod softly through the town, past scrawny goats and mangy-looking cats, past houses with holes in their roofs, past flowers wilted in beds that would've once bursted with colour. She came to the edge of the village. Here crude sticks marked the dead, row upon row of wooden pegs.

Kel looked out across the countryside whose grass was sickly and brown in the heat of summer, to a lake that glinted and sparkled a dazzling blue. On the western shore a grey castle rose dramatically, all towers and turrets, a red flag playing lazily on the summer's breeze. A cliff shielded the northern side of the ramparts -had some of the castle been cut out of the rock itself? Alex had spoken little of Rathhausak save some memories of the people that had once lived there.

Kel considered the task ahead. Stenmun had near one hundred and seventy-five men, plus the guards that Blayce already had in place. Even if the villagers could get them inside, those were still ridiculous odds. Kel didn't want to lead her friends to a near certain death, but was there any choice now that they were here but to attempt the impossible?

Sighing, Kel played with ideas. What would Alex do? She'd need to know the exact layout of the castle, where the children would be, where the guard houses, stables, barracks and Blayce's workshop were situated.

This would end tonight, one way or another.

* * *

The sky had darkened to an inky blue, stars dotted innocently above. Kel sent up a silent prayer to whichever Gods had taken an interest in the goings on in Scanra -she found it hard to believe that they could be blind such evil- and addressed those stood before her.

'I will not insult you all by pretending that this battle will be easily won,' her voice was quiet, calm. 'We go against numbers ten times our own, with plans that may well not succeed.' She paused, 'If any of you would take your leave then now is the time. I will not lead those who are unwilling.' Nobody moved an inch. 'Then whatever the outcome tonight, I know that I got to fight an unimaginable evil with the finest fighters that Tortall had to offer. It is an honour to raise arms alongside you.' She looked into every face. 'For justice!'

'So mote it be,' murmured her companions.

They waited in silence for Agrane's signal. Even having completed her speech Kel still wanted to let them know how much it meant that they would walk to an uncertain end beside her, how much she loved Dom and Neal and Owen. The words wouldn't come however, and she forced a lake of Yamani calm to fill every fibre of her being.

'It's time,' came the whisper.

Kel clasped Owen's forearm, clapped Dom's men on the back and took the Sergeant's hand. A quick squeeze was all she allowed their farewell to be, clinging to the fading hope that they would both make it out alive. Then she, Neal, Fanche, Saefas, the Scanran soldiers and Gil, followed Agrane and her two companions into the night.

The air was cool and still. Crickets hummed and chirped, blissfully unaware of the assault that was about to begin on castle Rathhausak. Agrane and two others, armed with their makeshift spears and bows lead them through woodland, skirting fields they pressed themselves into the shadows cast by the hedgerows in the silvery light of the moon. As they neared the castle they had to scrambling over rocky scree. It was hard work and Kel wasn't the only on to slip and graze knees.

They reached the western front of the ramparts, grey rock towering above them. Hearts hammering, for any moment could lead to discovery, the attackers pushed themselves through seemingly solid rock and into an escape tunnel much like the one Kel had used to flee from Mastiff.

'Ain't no one been down here since them boys were young,' whispered Agrane.

The though that Alex had most likely stood exactly where they were walking hunched over, bolstered Kel. Hadn't they pulled off crazy plans together in the past? Indeed, Kel herself had survived years of fighting Maggur. _Time to deal the hardest blow yet,_ she thought savagely.

The tunnel reached an iron-plated door. They paused. 'Is everyone clear on the plan?' Kel clarified one more time. Her fellows nodded briskly.

'Then may the Great Mother and Mithros guide you all,' Kel whispered. They slid the door slowly open to reveal the underside of a tapestry.

'I can't hear any one,' whispered Zerhek, the leader of the Scanran trio who'd sworn loyalty to Kel. The three Scanrans were dressed as Kel had found them; in their scarlet uniforms and company-issue chainmail. Ralsh saluted Kel, his hand balled over his chest and then forehead, Alex's sign, the sign of freedom.

'Here my lady, I will seek revenge for Somalkt,' he told Kel.

Mynt ducked his head towards Kel, breaking his usual respectful silence, 'You have given us something true to fight for,' he grunted. 'We won't let you down.'

And so, Kel watched all three slip from under the fabric and out of sight. They were to pretend that they were Stenmun's and would attempt to secure the outer wall so that when the time came the portcullis could be drawn and Dom's mounted soldiers be let in. Holding the wall would also ensure that no archers would have the ideal position from which to pick off Tortallan soldiers once the fighting had begun.

The next group to leave were Agrane, Fanche, Gil and Saefas. They were going to the children's quarters on the floor above. If they could move the kids into the tunnel and start leading them away from the fighting, then so much the better. Kel had instructed Fanche to try and take as many refugee children as possible, even if the other warriors were to die in battle.

Kel turned to her final three companions; Neal and the Scanran villagers Zerhalm and Massim. 'Let's go.'

They hurried through the deserted corridors of the castle, past rooms that would once have belonged to the family and friends of the Rathhausak clan. The four of them also wore red tunics, stolen from the dead at the slave-traders camp in a moment of foresight by Kel. This disguise allowed them to cross the back courtyard without raising the alarm from a guard on the castle wall. They marched slowly and deliberately.

'What is it you want?' asked a burly guard who stood watch outside the stores.

'The Mage has orders for us to fetch powders,' growled Massim.

'At this time?' Asked the young guard suspiciously.

'Don't sleep like normal folk, that mage. Besides he's got two hundred new ones to make ain't he? Gotta be stocked up.'

The guard shrugged and let them inside.

They spent a tense five minutes rooting around inside until they found the barrels they were looking for. Kel sniffed gingerly and recoiled at the sickening acrid smell of blazebalm. 'Yes that's definitely it.'

Signalling silently with her hands, Kel summoned Neal to the door, mouthing instructions.

'Oi, look here,' Neal exclaimed in his best Scanran.

The guard stepped inside and died almost instantly, sliding off of Kel's sword to become the first casualty of the night. They dragged him into a corner and pulled sacking over the body before picking up the second barrel of blazebalm.

Neal and Kel followed Zerhalm and Massim, their arms protesting at the effort of lugging such a heavy weight. Fear kept them moving through corridors, gardens, yards and courtyards until they came to long-house style barracks. They positioned their cargo outside the large wooden doors.

Kel took a shuddering breath and chopped her arm down in a sharp signal. Neal pulled open the door to the first barracks and Kel rolled the barrel gently inside. Their actions were mirrored by Zerhalm and Massim. Both doors were pulled shut. Massim and Zerhalm sprinted away to join Kel and Neal sheltering behind a granite pillar.

'Do it,' Kel instructed Neal. A flash of sorrow crossed the mage's green eyes and he conjured his gift. The blazebalm needed little encouragement and with a crackling roar, fire exploded into the barracks. In under a minute flames had gripped the front end of the building, burning so ferociously that Kel, even at her distance felt sweat prickling her forehead.

She turned her back on the barracks and dragged Neal away. It would not do for him to hear the yelling of one hundred men as they died. Stenmun had just lost half his army. Unfortunately for Kel and the others, the remaining half had now been alerted to their presence.

Men spilled into the yard ahead of Kel. She drew Courage at the same instance Neal drew his own sword. Zerhalm and Massim also squared up to the enemy with axes they'd stolen from the storerooms. And then Kel was in the thick of the fighting, enemy swords everywhere and she was doing what came naturally, unthinkingly until stillness fell once more. Fourteen enemy dead lay strewn across the ground.

'This way,' hissed Zerhalm.

Kel followed Neal up a narrow flight of stairs and they met with another band of eight guards in the upper corridor. Their tunics gave them the element of surprise until the men got close enough to see that their armour was not army issue.

As Neal smoothly dispatched his opponent, Kel became fully aware for the first time, that Neal had been trained by the Lioness. She had always thought of Neal as a healer, a mage first and foremost, not a formidable swordsman. If he took his nose out of a book every now and again, thought Kel as she watched Neal helping Zerhalm to subdue his attacker, then he could actually be quite good.

'We should get back to the main courtyard,' Kel told her comrades. 'The others might need help.'

Indeed they did. Red-clad Scanrans swarmed everywhere in the semi-darkness. There was fighting on the battlements.

'They've got the portcullis up, I think,' shouted Massim over the din.

'Get to the gates and open them,' cried Kel. 'I'll help Zerhek's lot.'

Kel hurried boldly through the soldiers, praying that in the confusion no one would notice that she wasn't one of Stenmun's men. She reached the stairs and plunged into the fighting. Men hacked at her from front and behind and Kel was intensely grateful for her well-made armour as it shielded her from the worst of the blows. She scrambled up the stone staircase shoving Scanran soldiers head first over the wooden railings as she went. Kel struck at the vulnerable ankles and knees of those on the steps above and then leapt to the side as they crumpled so as not to be squashed.

When she'd finally made it up to the top she was nearly decapitated by Ralsh.

'It's me!' Kel shouted in alarm, batting away his longsword. Recognition flashed across the Scanran's bloody face and moments later he pushed her down so that they both narrowly avoided a volley of arrows.

'Domitan's men are out there,' the soldier told Kel. 'But Mynt went down and we haven't been able to open the gates.'

'Neal and the others are on it,' Kel shouted back. 'We must hold the battlements.'

As Kel straightened up to face the onslaught once more she heard a victorious cry and a clattering of hooves on cobbles. Her heart soared; they may yet pull through this.

An arrow raked her hip, leaving a shallow, stinging wound, but Kel didn't have time to stop and attend to it for she was soon fully engaged in battle with a giant, bearded swordsman. With a cry the man stumbled back, an arrow lodged in his neck. He toppled and joined the carpet of bodies lining the stair. Wiping sweat out of her eyes and thanking the gods for the enemy archer's poor aim, she scrambled over limbs and lifeless bodies to reach the chaos below.

Dom's men had driven the bulk of the Scanran's back from the wall and Kel guessed that only about forty or so remained. They were forming ranks and walls of shields. Owen's warhorse went down with a horrible whinnying scream. Cursing, Kel made it her aim to pick off the archers who were shooting from within the guardhouse.

Grabbing a shield from a corpse, Kel charged into the building and raced up the stairs. The first archer turned, releasing a crossbow bolt. Kel's arm jarred as it thudded into her shield but she didn't waver, running the archer through smoothly. The seconds archer turned and fled until Kel's dagger struck him on the back of the neck and he too dropped, gargling and flailing. Kel wrenched Courage from the Scanran's belly and hurried back downstairs.

She paused, thinking hard. Her primary concern now was that Blayce would somehow escape. And Stenmun was still unaccounted for.

With a huge effort Kel pushed herself off of the door frame she was leaning on and entered the fray once more. Neal was whirling his sword impressively as he chopped and changed between his two adversaries. Kel killed the closest of the pair.

'Thanks' panted Neal.

'I'm going after Blayce.'

Worry passed across the knight's blood-spattered face. 'I'll come-' Neal was distracted as he hacked down a soldier who'd crept up behind Kel.

'You're needed here' pointed out Kel numbly, it seemed as though this calm conversation was separate, detached form the cacophony all around her.

'Blayce is a mage,' Neal pointed out.

'Come and find me when the fighting's done,' Kel decided. 'They need you more here.'

'Gods protect you Kel,' Neal clasped her forearm briefly before darting back to the fight. There was no longer a mass of soldiers and guards; those that were left were turning and fleeing, trying to hide in the castle's many corridors and floors. Kel could just see Dom sending his men to hunt them down, but she didn't dare try to count how many had survived.

Kel began to make her way through the castle, up and up, until she reached the top floor. Following instructions drilled into her by Agrane, Kel took the western corridor. Here, large stained-glass windows cast a colourful light across the wooden floor; the sun was rising.

At the end of the corridor was an iron door. Even as Kel approached the sinister structure, a blond giant came crashing through. In one hand was a large leather pouch, clinking ostentatiously.

Upon seeing Kel he unslung from his back a giant battle axe. It's blade was sticky with blood and Kel presumed that Stenmun, for surely this was he, had been fighting and had now come to, collect his pay?

Kel advanced with her sword drawn. She recognised the axe as the one that had once shattered her right wrist.

'Move aside,' snapped Stenmun. 'I have no interest whether you kill the Mage or not. Take this castle, I'm not stopping you.'

'You stole our children,' was Kel's simple reply.

Stenmun shrugged. 'I was paid well for the job.'

Anger flared in kel. 'I cannot let a man who would see two hundred children slaughtered and enslaved by a necromancer walk away,' she said, her voice shaking. 'You're a worse monster than the ones he creates.'

'So be it,' replied Stenmun. 'You, little girl, will die and I will escape and return to my King.'

The duel began and Kel found herself struggling to maintain the upper hand. She'd drilled for hours on end against swordsmen, but the great axe twisted and turned in ways she didn't expect. Several times kel deflected killer blows from the sharp-edge, only to have the blunt side slammed into her with the force of a rampaging bull. Her left arm and ribs suffered the worst and Kel's breath became ragged with pain. She couldn't perform any clever trick that might save her, such as throwing a dagger or transferring her sword between hands because her left arm now dangled uselessly.

Kel fought on bravely but soon found herself being forced back down the corridor. Conscious that the stairs must soon be looming behind her, Kel made a brave, risky pass which somehow managed to entwine sword and axe. Stenmun grabbed her by the throat with his free hand, preparing to toss Kel down the stairs. With one last burst of determination, Kel hooked her leg around the Scanran's giant one and pulled. It was a simple self defence move taught to all Yamani ladies. At precisely the same moment Stenmun had tried to throw Kel forward, with the result that they both went crashing down the stairs. Weapons escaped from clutching fingers as two pairs of arms flailed against the inevitable downwards flight.

The first impact wasn't too bad, Kel landing on top of something squishy, presumably Stenmun, but the second somersault saw her baring the brunt of the blow. Kel's back was smashed into the wooden staircase which splintered, and her head hit something very solid.

In a tangle of limbs they catapulted over several more times before coming to a halt.

It was surprisingly quiet. The thought entered Kel's head quite of it's own accord and was followed by an explosion of pain. Everywhere hurt. She could taste blood, she could smell blood, she could see blood pooling on the wooden landing; though whether it was hers or Stenmun's she couldn't tell. With a groan that became a gurgle due to the blood sliding down her throat, Kel lifted her head. Stenmun lay motionless across her legs.

Kel's mind was foggy, her vision blurred, but she reached to her belt and buried her dagger in the giant's neck for good measure.

It seemed to take unbearably long for Kel to stand upright. Swaying, heavy blackness threatening to cloud her vision, Kel picked up her bloody sword from the ground and hobbled up the stairs.

She had to finish this, finish Blayce. She was so close. Then she could lie down, then she could sleep. It was the only thought that drove her battered body onwards, up the smashed stairs, along the corridor, up more stairs, though this flight was spiralled and un-bloodstained, and into the workroom beyond.

'What is it now, Stenmun? I gave you what we agreed did I not? Take those men and leave.'

A short, greasy rat-like man turned and realised that he was not in fact addressing Stenmun.

'Oh,' he sneered. 'Who are you?' He looked Kel up and down as she limped into the room. 'One of Stenmun's captains no doubt. Well if you've come to me for a healing then you're out of luck.'

Kel could barely register the mage's words. There was only pain and the knowledge that she had to destroy the vermin that stood before her. Using Courage as a cane, she limped on.

'Now see here,' blustered Blayce. 'You're not to come barging in disturbing me so. I have important work to be done, for the King you know.'

Kel struggled on, until she was but five metres way from the man who'd murdered children by the cartload, the man she'd sworn to kill.

Courage slipped from Kel's bloody fingers and she lurched forward using the bench to hold her shaking body upright.

Blayce stepped forward, 'I really must insist that you leave Captain, or I'll have you strung-' But Blayce never finished his sentence but looked down at his chest, a small 'O' of surprise on his face. Buried there was one of the foot-long blades from a killing machine.

Kel, who'd grabbed the blade from the workbench as though it had been what she'd intended to do all along, sagged with relief.

Her legs gave out completely and she slid to the floor. From her new vantage point, she noticed the bright mornings sunshine streaming in through the windows. Kel strained to her ears to try and hear the sound of the battle below, but the room was completely silent. _Must be spelled_, Kel thought sleepily. Good, she wouldn't be disturbed. Kel closed her eyes.

* * *

Kel was having a very strange dream in which a purple-eyed cat was pacing around in front of her. The small feline was insistently mewing that she get up.

Kel's practical side found these instructions mildly confusing; a cat shouldn't be telling her anything.

Purple orbs burned up at her and Kel found herself beginning to stir. She wanted to ask the cat, as ridiculous as questioning a cat was, where it had come from, but was soon distracted by the pain that accompanied her return to wakefulness.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Kel took stock of her injuries. Her left arm was still unusable, her right hip bled sluggishly from the arrow wound, but apart from various lacerations and bruises from head to toe Kel had been extremely fortunate not to be in worse shape.

'Come one,' Kel muttered to herself. She'd suffered worse injuries than a graze and a broken bone before. The tired girl clambered to her feet, ignoring the bloody smear she'd left on the floor. Kel picked up Courage with one horribly sticky hand.

The room swayed and Kel vomited violently. When she'd expelled the meagre contents of her stomach and coughed up quite a lot of blood, Kel stepped over Blayce emotionlessly, hoping that relief and satisfaction at defeating her enemy would come later.

Kel rifled through the man's desk. It would not do for others to copy Blayce's work, so she threw handfuls of papers and armfuls of books in to the fireplace. When she was satisfied that no record had escaped her purge, Kel took a box of matches and lit the blaze with difficulty, one-handed as she was.

The dry parchment burned merrily and Kel left the flames to consume the evil. She turned and made her way slowly down the spiral stairs. Down she went, following her own blood trail, over Stenmun's body where she paused only to retrieve her dagger and further on, out into the courtyard.

The battle was over, Tortallan men, now rid of their Scanran uniforms, were piling up the dead. In one corner of the cobbled yard was a crouched group of people. Kel hobbled over and found Neal with glittering fire trying to heal Lofren, one of Dom's men. The fire died.

'I'm sorry,' said Neal heavily, 'I can't save him.' Dom straightened and turned away from the group, running his hands through his sweat-soaked hair in distress.

'Kel' he breathed, spotting his commander and lover for the first time. Kel reached for Dom's hand, unable to withstand the pain of an embrace.

'Thank Mithros above!' Breathed Neal, his eyes damp. 'You're alive.'

'He's dead,' rasped Kel, answering the unspoken question.

'You look bloody terrible,' exclaimed Owen, appearing behind Neal and sporting a heavily bandaged arm.

Kel breathed a small sigh of relief. Neal, Dom and Owen were still all alive.

'Who've we lost?' she asked quietly.

'Zerhek and Mynt.' Replied Owen.

'Lofren, Corporal Fulcher, Massim and Zerhalm.' Luke, one of Dom's men, told Kel.

'I've healed Gil the best I can, but it's not looking hopeful,' said Neal dully. 'I've used too much gift patching up Saefas, Owen and Luke already.

Kel swallowed, they were heavy losses.

'Let's get out of here quickly,' said Dom, squeezing Kel's fingers. 'The children wait in the village with Fanche and Agrane.'

Kel nodded in agreement, although the movement made her head pound. 'There's just one thing I want to do.' She released Dom's hand and disappeared into the castle. It took less than five minutes to find a sheet that could be ripped for her purpose. Kel pressed her hand to her bleeding hip and it came away wet. Placing her hand flat out on the sheet as she'd once done at Somalkt, over five years before, Kel printed a red hand onto the fabric.

Kel tore down the Rathhausak flag one-handed and fastened hers tightly to the metal rings. With an almighty effort she hauled the new flag up and tied the rope so that it was secure.

Let the rebel flag fly as it once had down in Somalkt. A breeze unfurled the symbol of freedom and Kel's heart lifted. It struck her fully for the first time that Blayce was gone.

She hoped that somehow a whisper of the flag would reach Alex, that he would know he still had a loyal supporter in her.

With as many horses and as much food as they could carry, the depleted partly left castle Rathhausak in the late morning. They'd burned the Tortallan dead, including Gil who hadn't pulled through, but had left the Scanran dead for the stormwings that gathered overhead.

'Nice flag,' Neal commented in an undertone as he passed Kel. 'Who's is it's?'

'Hope's.' Kel replied.

* * *

-a/n- Hooray for Kel! She got Blayce :D I hope you enjoyed my version of the assault on the castle. I was always a bit dissatisfied in Lady Knight with how Kel's small band magically managed to beat back so many of Stenmun's men...

As always, your thoughts would be treasured,

Lots of festive love to you all,

Confusedknight xxx


	74. Homeward bound

-a/n- Look what Santa's bought! A new chapter for your enjoyment (I hope!) I've been writing this bit by bit the whole week and it then took me three and a half hours to type up! Eep! This chapter is focussed mainly on various relationships, which I hope you enjoy. It was particularly music-inspired: 'There's a place for us' by Carrie Underwood, Nuvole Bianche -a beautiful piece of piano music by one of my favourite composers; Einaudi and of course, the lullaby that Kel will sing is 'Into the West' by Annie Lennox.

Thank you so, so, so much for your reviews. Nearly 9000. I can't believe the wonderful support you've given me over the years with this story. No matter how long between updates there's always being prodding and messaging me and it's to your credit that I've never once considered abandoning Fallen.

May your Christmas be filled with peace and joy,

Confusedknight xxx

* * *

By the time the sun had sunk low in the sky, Kel was so tired she barely had the energy to dismount. Their party, which now numbered just under three hundred with the addition of children and the Scanran villagers, had been journeying all day.

The younger children were finicky and hungry, even some of the Scanran villagers weren't much better complaining of being saddle-sore and asking to stop for breaks every hour.

It wasn't just a lack of sleep that was affecting Kel, but the after effects of blood loss. Even a simple rising trot was enough to make her lose her breath, not to mention the pain such jerking and jolting caused.

Their campsite was a small copse, sheltered enough for a fine summer's night. Others had begun to dismount, but Kel sat numbly looking around at them all. She needed to organise sentries; but who? Everyone had missed out on sleep the previous night. There were also food rations to be distributed...these thoughts made Kel's head spin. She wanted to curl up and close her heavy eyes.

Kel looked blearily around. Neal looked in bad shape; his eyes slightly sunken and black-rimmed in an unusually pale face. He'd overexerted himself trying to save Gil and had fainted once already. Dom too was struggling, Kel could tell by his bunched shoulders and closed expression. Still covered in muck from the battle, he grieved for his two lost men; his squad was down to six.

In the end it was Fanche who organised sentry shifts and the distribution of food. Kel practically slid off of Prince and stood leaning on the solid chestnut gelding until Saefas came and offered to deal with him. Gratefully Kel let the trapper lead Prince away.

Kel could hardly believe the events of the past few days. As Neal came and sat heavily down beside her she mused that it was though her Scanran life was colliding with her Tortallan one, leaving her crushed in the middle, torn between two paths.

They were heading back to Tortall with the refugee children, something that only a day ago Kel would scarcely have thought possible. However, as they journeyed, Kel felt more conflicted than ever. Half of her wanted to run back to Tortall, to Raoul and the relative comfort and safety of her squiring position. The other parts felt the pull of unfinished events. She had promises to be kept. What of Jacqui's family? Were they safe from the likes of Maggur?

Kel fumbled in her pack for a map she'd stolen from the guardhouse at Rathhausak. Blearily she examined the lay of the land. One filthy finger traced the path from Rathhausak to the Vassa.

'You want to stay here,' said Neal heavily, observing her through dull green eyes.

'I want,' Kel replied slowly. 'For this whole war to be over. I want Maggur dead, and a just King placed in his stead.' She paused, 'I'm just not sure the best way to help.'

'These people trust you to get them back safely,' Neal pointed out softly.

'And then what? We go back to sheltering in forts, killing off a generation of Scanran men who don't necessarily want to be fighting?'

'But what else can we do?'

'More,' said Kel. 'Don't you understand? These last few days...people have been fighting Maggur like that for years. Hungry, tired, outnumbered, injured! I've fought with them Neal, watched them die. And they're just ordinary people, like Agrane's daughter, caught up in this mess...' Her voice wobbled dangerously. 'We're meant to be honourable, trained to be protectors of the defenceless, Neal!' She half sobbed. 'And yet I abandon my friends to their plight, ignore the suffering of thousands and return to Tortall.' Kel buried her face in her hands, shaking but quite unable to form tears.

'Kel,' Neal replied, shocked out of lethargy by Kel's outburst. 'The code of chivalry doesn't bind you to have to try and save everyone. You're the most selfless person I've ever met. You dropped everything, risked everything to chase after a group of commoners you barely knew. If you'd stayed in Scanra then those refugees would never have been rescued.' He paused.

'I learnt many things from my knight-mistress, including this; the Lioness may be blessed by the Goddess, with many great deeds to her name, but there are things that even Alanna can't heal, things that she can't change no matter how much she wants to. It is up to us to exercise the wisdom we've been granted Kel, to change the things we can and let go that which we can't.

You could go haring off into the depths of Scanra injured as you are, to search for a group of rebel fighters who likely don't want to be found. And maybe, if you're exceptionally lucky you'd find them in a month or two and contribute one more sword to their army. Or you could return to Tortall, where you're six months off a Knighthood and surrounded by many powerful, influential people. Why not wait and see where the will of the Gods take you?'

Neal's speech made sense in Kel's pounding brain.

'I'm sorry,' she mumbled.

The knight threw a one-armed hug around her that made Kel moan in pain.

'And I'm sorry that I can't fix that,' he said, somewhat miserably.

'What does it feel like to not have any Gift?' Kel asked curiously, wiping her burning eyes.

'It's hard to describe; I don't normally notice my Gift but when I reach and nothing's there...It feels empty.'

The friends fell into silence.

'How's that gash on your-' Neal stopped mid-sentence, realising that Kel had dropped off to sleep.

* * *

They crawled southwards mostly at a walking pace; the children and villagers found it difficult to trot for any length of time. Kel felt marginally better in the fresh day. She'd had a quick wash and was, at the very least no-longer covered in blood. Things seemed clearer in the morning light. She did have a duty to the Tortallans, and running off into Scanra whilst injured wasn't a sensible Alex wanted to find her, then Tortall would be where he'd look.

With that settled, Kel decided that there was only one thing that she had to do before leaving Scanra again. That night, as the others were making camp, Kel sought out Neal, who was patiently redressing Owen's side.

'Neal,' Kel said when he'd finished, 'There's somewhere I've got to go.'

Fear flashed across his face, 'You can't.'

'I'm coming back,' Kel hurriedly assured the knight. 'I've been looking at this map. We're only two valleys over from where some friends of mine used to live. I owe it to them to check. I'll be back by morning.'

'You're not going anywhere on your own,' Neal argued. 'What if you fall off that horse of yours and hurt yourself even more.'

Kel tried to protest, but Neal wouldn't hear it. Kel gave in; which seemed to be a common theme nowadays. They instructed Dom to take charge.

'Kel.' Worry was etched all over the Sergeant's face.

'I've got Neal with me. We'll be careful.' Kel told him gently.

Before they left, Kel allowed Neal to strap her left arm to her chest, giving it the padding to soften the jarring brought about by riding. Neal took one of the spare horses to save the one he'd been riding all day. Prince, whose stamina had not faded in all the years Kel had been riding him, was still in good shape.

'Bring a spare mount,' Kel said thoughtfully, hoping that she could persuade her friend and his family to return with them.

They rode hard, the setting sun casting long shadows as they cantered across fields and climbed up winding pathways.

'How do you keep this up?' Asked Neal exasperatedly as Kel urged Prince over another ridge.

Kel looked quizzically around.

'What?'

'Pushing yourself?'

Kel considered the question, she had a feeling that Neal wasn't only referring to her riding style. 'Because pressing on is easier than looking back.'

Despite their surroundings only being illuminated by a half-veiled moon and it's starry host, Kel began to recognise where they were.

'Down here.'

Their mounts trod a stony path down to land that Kel knew well. The stone-walled paddock, an overgrown vegetable patch and a neat farmhouse were exactly as she remembered.

'Hold Prince,' Kel dismounted nimbly, hardly daring to let hope bubble up inside her.

Kel half ran up the garden path and knocked on the wooden door. She waited, hearing movement from within. The door creaked slowly open. Eron stood in the frame. Relief washed over her.

'Who goes there?'

Kel's throat was so tight it was hard to speak. 'It's Kel,' she almost whispered.

'Kel? Our Kel?' Eron's voice was hoarse. 'Can it be? Come in, come in.'

'My friend Neal rode with me,' Kel told Eron in fluent Scanran.

'Any friend of yours is welcome,' Eron was lighting a lamp on the counter, fumbling in the dark.

'Neal,' Kel called.

The healer tethered the three horses and followed Kel inside, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the door frame.

'There,' said Eron as the lamp sputtered into light. He turned to Kel, and she couldn't help herself; Kel gasped.

'Eron.'

'Hush,' the man held out his arms, his cloudy eyes unseeing. Kel stepped into the embrace, suddenly feeling very upset.

'What happened?' She whispered.

'The Gods took my sight from me,' replied the Scanran. 'Mind it's not all bad, stopped me from being recruited when Maggur's army came knocking.'

'Oh Eron!'

'Hush child. Though -' he smiled. 'You're not a child any longer. Oh the little 'uns are going to be thrilled. Isra, Hal, Meah, it's alright, a friend. We've had to be careful,' the blind man told Kel. 'Children have been taken away down in Redroc.'

The three siblings came out cautiously.

'Kel!' Isra recognised her immediately. The young woman flew across the room, closely followed by her brother who was jabbering rapidly in Scanran. Kel welcomed their embraces, the pain worth discovering that the family was alive, and on the whole in good health.

'Didn't I tell you she'd come back,' Isra rounded on her brother who was nearly as tall as she was. Meah had meanwhile tiptoed across the room and shyly tugged on Kel's sleeve. Kel picked up the child one-handed with an effort, hugging the eight-year-old tightly. Neal watched the exchange with an bemused expression on his face. Kel put Meah gently down and the child went to hide coyly behind her father.

'So what brings you to this neck of the woods? What news from Alex?' Kel almost flinched at hearing the name spoken out loud.

'I haven't seen him in five years,' Kel replied truthfully. 'It's a long story.' Kel told a much abridged story of her return to Tortall, and her eventual return to Scanra. Conveniently leaving out her noble birth and position as a squire to Lord Raoul.

'That's a tale and a half,' whistled Eron.

'And now we're on our way back,' Kel finished.

'Will you stay for the night at least?' Eron's face had fallen. 'We don't often get visitors, let alone old friends.'

'I was hoping,' Kel ventured slowly. 'That you would come with us.'

A silence followed this statement.

'To Tortall?' Asked Isra shakily.

Kel nodded and then remembered that Eron's sight had deteriorated so she clarified 'Yes. I cannot protect you here. Blayce is gone but you're still perched on the borders of a war zone. In Tortall I can make sure you're safe, keep my promise to Jacqui.'

'But you just said all your refugees had been kidnapped, that doesn't sound safe,' Eron pointed out.

'It won't happen again,' Neal said grimly. 'The commander's will see to that.'

'But this is our home.'

'And what will we eat this winter, pa?' Enquired Isra. 'They took our goats and we've got very little planted. Half the village is starving already.'

'We'd make ends meet,' Eron argued with his eldest child. 'Do you want to leave your home?' He demanded. 'The memories of your ma?'

'Of course I don't want to leave,' snapped Isra, 'But I don't want to watch Meah and Hal go hungry this winter either. Ma's memory is in us pa, so long as we don't forget. We don't need this house to remember her.'

Kel was shocked at how authoritative Isra was. But doing the calculations Isra was fourteen, a year older than Kel had been when she'd first met the family. With Eron blind, Isra had taken over the running of the family.

'I will guarantee you food and shelter this winter,' Kel assured them. 'Even if you want to stay in my family home. Once this war is over I'll escort you back, Goddess I'll even buy you a herd of goats. Just let me keep you safe.' Kel pleaded.

'Hear that pa,' said Hal. 'New goats, and you who said we'd never be able to have any more!'

'Alex will win, he will da,' Isra insisted. 'Then we'll live proper again.'

'It seems my children are convinced,' Eron sighed. 'We'll accept your request, you've done right by us in h

the past.'

'Pack light,' Kel advised. Hal and Isra did as they were instructed.

'They're braver than me,' said Eron gruffly.

'You've raised them well.' Neal said approvingly.

'Jacqui would be proud,' Kel added quietly.

'Not of me. Look at me, scared to leave my own house.' Eron cast his sightless gaze around. 'I'm forgetting her Kel. I can't picture her face like I used to. Leaving behind our home, it feels like leaving more of her behind.'

'When we're in Tortall, I can have a look at your eyes,' offered Neal. 'I'm a healer.'

'Tortall,' the farmer rolled the name in his mouth. 'Who'd have thought?'

Isra guided her father onto the spare mount and clambered up in front of him to steer. Kel scooped up Meah whilst Neal helped Hal onto his horse.

'Oh glory,' exclaimed Hal. 'This is a proper horse. Like them knights in tales have.'

'Neal's a knight,' Kel casually mentioned, earning Neal undying respect from the children. 'He was squire to the Lioness.' Immediately Neal was bombarded with questions that didn't abate for the entirety of the ride.

Arriving in the camp in the early hours of the morning, Kel greeted a relieved Dom who was on sentry duty. His eyes widened when he saw their companions. Neal saw to the horses, accompanied by an awestruck Hal. Isra led her father to a clear patch of ground and packed blankets. Meah clung to Kel's hand as though it was a lifeline in the floods of change all around her.

'A family that looked after me for a few months,' Kel said in answer to Dom's enquiring look. 'I'm returning the favour.'

Dom kissed her quickly on the lips. 'I love you ,' he whispered. Kel smiled weakly, 'I love you too.'

She helped the small girl to remove her boots and tuck a blanket about her.

'Will you sing?' Asked Meah unexpectedly. 'Isra said ma always used to sing.'

'I'm not your ma,' said Kel hurriedly.

'But you sang to us before.' Isra pointed out quietly.

'Go on,' urged Hal.

'Alright,' Kel agreed, beginning to sing in an undertone as she smoothed the children's blankets. As she finished the final notes, she looked up, seeing an expression of surprising longing on Dom's face. Was he imagining little ones of their own?

Kel shifted uncomfortably at the thought -she definitely did not feel ready to be a mother.

As she too settled down to sleep, Kel decided that worrying over where her relationship with Dom was headed would do no good until after she'd been freed of vows and promises she'd made, until after Scanra had been liberated.

* * *

The journey south was slow, tense and hot. Kel couldn't help but think back to her solitary journey through the country. The responsibility of hundreds of clamouring children and refugees made the trip infinitely worse. The presence of Jacqui's children, who remained stoically cheerful, chattering to Kel in Scanran, singing amongst themselves and the supportive, exhausted glances of her two best friends and lover, made it exponentially better.

When the first sounds of the rushing Vassa hit Kel's ears she felt like she would cry in relief, if only she had the energy to do so. Kel lead the train of horses down half-hidden paths through the woods.

'Not long now,' she smiled wearily at the youths riding nearby, watching their wary disbelieving expressions, uncomfortably aware that many of them were the same age, if not older than she had been during her time fighting for Alex.

The Scanran smugglers greeted them in amazement.

'By the name of Mithros,' said Jeike wonderingly. 'You actually did it.'

'Did another party, our friends make it through here?' Was Kel's first, urgent question.

'Around eight days ago, lady warrior.'

The words sank into Kel's disbelieving brain like a cool balm that helped ease the headache that was her constant companion.

'Will you make us wait for nightfall?' Neal wanted to know. Kel noted that Neal's Scanran had improved over the last few weeks.

'Nay, the border's been quiet these last few days and there's little 'uns here tha; be needing their folks.'

Dom and his remaining men crossed first with their faithful mounts, so that they could supervise the unloading of the boats on the far shore. The rest of the day involved a lot of waiting around, as Kel slowly watched their number dwindling. The smugglers had two boats running and were taking it in turn to navigate the Vassa and deliver their cargo safely.

Having gained around one hundred and twenty horses in Rathhausak, Kel was now not sure what to do with them all. For now at least, she was focussing on getting all the children to Tortall.

Maybe they could sell the horses and use the money to rebuild the lives of all the refugees...it was an idea. Several hours later still, as the sky was turning a magnificent shade of red, Kel finally boarded one of the ferries, along with Neal and Owen, both of whom had refused to leave before she did. On Neal's part whether this was due to distrust about whether she'd run off, or concern for her physical well being, Kel wasn't sure. Owen simply thought it'd be 'jolly' for the three of them to keep each other company whilst they waited.

The boat ground upon gravel, Tortallan gravel, and the smuggler leapt out to haul the craft (with assistance from Derom and Saefas) safely onto firm ground. Kel took a wobbly step back onto her homeland.

'Praise Mithros and the Goddess,' Neal murmured. 'There were times when I wasn't sure this moment would come.'

'Our Kel knew what she was doing all along,' said Owen confidently, wiggling his toes happily, feeling Tortallan ground beneath his boots. 'What an adventure!'

'I've had enough adventure for a lifetime,' Neal drawled. 'If I ever express even the slightest desire to do anything other than scholarly pursuits then please lock me in a padded room until the feeling passes.'

Kel couldn't help but grin. Neal was still Neal, and she couldn't help but feel that this daredevil trip had renewed some of the closeness they'd once had.

'Just think in a few more hours we'll have baths and food.' Dom said with relish, squeezing Kel's un-bandaged shoulder. Kel turned slowly to smile at Dom and caught sight, over his shoulder, of two men who she wasn't sure she was ready to face.

'Oh,' breathed Owen, as he too spotted his knight-master. Kel squared up, trying to fill herself with the 'I couldn't-care-less-attitude,' that she'd often adopted when facing adversaries. But she did care. She respected Raoul and Wyldon second only to Alex and the thought of their disappointment made her empty stomach churn.

Kel would've liked to take the hand Dom was offering her, for support, but they were not in Scanra anymore and she'd face the consequences with a brave, exhausted face. The two knight-masters surveyed their charges with slightly alarmed expressions. It was Owen who broke the awkward silence.

'I'm sorry,' he burst out, 'But I killed Happy, sir.' Happy was Owen's name for the mount Wyldon had given him. 'Well rather, a Scanran archer killed him, but still I was riding him-' Wyldon held up a hand to stem the flood of misery bursting from Owen.

'Is that all you have to say for yourself?'

'No sir,' Owen started again. 'I'm sorry for eavesdropping and running away. I didn't want to break your trust, honest to Mithros, but you taught me that a knight does what's right over what they personally want. And Kel needed us, my Lord. The refugees needed us all, so you mustn't be angry with her.'

'Jesslaw,' said Wyldon patiently.

'We were just doing what-'

'Jesslaw,' barked Wyldon. Owen blinked and shut his mouth.

'I am sad to hear about,' -Wyldon grimaced slightly- 'Happy. I am extremely relieved, amazed even that most of you have returned from this jaunt alive. And above all I am proud, that men and women I've helped train have proved themselves to be such honourable warriors of the Realm.'

Owen bowed deeply, perhaps trying to hide the blush that had turned his already rosy cheeks scarlet Neal's mouth had dropped open. Kel stared.

'If I have ever met a squire more worthy to be a knight, Keladry of Mindelan, then may Mithros strike me down.' He took Kel's head between his hands and kissed her forehead in a fatherly way.

'Queenscove.' Wyldon addressed the knight whose mouth was still hanging open. 'Don't get used to being complimented so.' This seemed to snap Neal out of his shock.

'I wouldn't dream of it, my Lord.'

'Jesslaw!' Wyldon lead Owen away.

'Sir Nealan, I believe your father is quite eager to speak with you.' Neal recognised the dismissal from Raoul. He paused, his green eyes flicking towards Kel. She nodded imperceptibly. Neal didn't argue; for all they quarrelled Kel knew that Duke Baird and his sole surviving son were very close.

'Well you two have been busy.' Raoul said when it was just the three of them. 'Two hundred children and not even married!'

Dom snorted. 'I've missed your wit, sire.'

'And I a fine commander.' The two large men shook hands.

'We lost Lofren and Fulcher,' said Dom, pain evident in his voice.

'Good men,' sighed Raoul. 'The Black God will treat them with favour; they laid down their lives knowingly for an honourable cause.'

Dom nodded, his blue eyes bright.

'Now if you would allow me a moment with the Lady Squire?' Dom returned to his squad.

'Walk with me a short way.'

Kel fell into step beside her knight-master, hoping that they really were only going to walk a short way; her shaky legs didn't feel up to very much.

'Around six days ago a rather extraordinary event occurred,' Raoul's voice was light. 'The killing machines all died suddenly allowing Vanget to smash a fifteen company invading party to pieces. We plan to set it about that a powerful mage had joined the war on her side.'

Kel was unsure how she was meant to respond, though she was fairly sure that when Maggur's men found Blacye with a blade embedded in his heart, that it would be obvious it hadn't been a mage who'd killed him.

'I'm sorry,' she began.

'For what?' asked Raoul beaming. 'You've rescued all the refugees, killed the war mage Blayce, you've given the fighters here hope.'

It sounded so glorious but all Kel could envisage was death and more death. She was hurt, she was tired. Tears began to roll haphazardly down her cheeks. Raoul's expression was one of utter alarm as though the man who could slay giants found weeping women terrifying. He pulled her into an awkward hug, trying not to hurt her bandaged arm.

'Shh!' Kel felt like a small child being comforted by a father. Raoul smelt of horse and saddle soap.

'You're home now, praise MIthros,' relief was evident in his voice. When Kel's gentle sobs had subsided, she straightened up, apologising for the wet splotches on Raoul's tunic.

The big man waved the apology aside. 'You've had quite a fortnight, let's get you home.'

'A bath and sleep,' muttered Kel wearily.

'The infirmary first, I think,' Raoul caught his stumbling squire.

'Kel!'

'Sorry,' Kel apologised again. 'Light-head, light-headed,' she frowned, concentrating hard on the words. Raoul slung Kel's good arm over his shoulders and half-carried Kel back to the others.

'Kel' shrieked a familiar voice.

The Squire let in a sharp intake of breath as Meah barrelled into her wounded hip. 'We crossed a river! In a boat! It was so exciting.' Hal exclaimed as he loped towards his younger sibling.

'Are we safe now?' whispered Meah.

'Yes.' Kel stroked the small blonde head. 'We're safe. Where's your sister?' Kel asked drowsily.

'With pa, so he don't knock into things,' Hal explained.

'Well you stay with your pa too,' Kel instructed. 'I'll come and find you soon.'

'Where are you going?' Asked Hal curiously.

'To-' The world was pressing in on her temples, her head felt very heavy. It was easy to shut her eyes and welcome the oblivion.

* * *

It was peaceful, that was the first thing Kel noticed. No crying infants, no quarrelling adults. Someone was checking her pulse.

'She's stable, my Lord. The Duke will see to here when he gets back.' Kel's eyes flickered open.

'There,' said the harassed woman triumphantly. 'Drink all of this. You're dehydrated, half-starved and exhausted.'

The brew was foul, but within minutes Kel could feel her body responding to the liquid energy. She was in the infirmary at Mastiff; Kel recognised the large, clean and mostly empty ward as being party of Wyldon's tidy establishment.

Raoul sat on a most uncomfortable-looking stool at her bedside. His boyish face was worried.

'I'm fine,' Kel tried to assure him. 'I'm just tired. Really tired.'

'Has anyone ever told you not to frighten them like that?'

'It might have been mentioned.' Kel yawned.

'No sleeping for you yet missy.' The healer had returned with a large bowl of steaming water. 'Need to clean you up a bit before the Duke arrives. Help her out of that mail-' The healer instructed, 'I'll be back in just a minute.'

As much as Kel wanted to be clean again, she would much rather have sorted herself out in private. She had been wearing the amour almost solidly for nearly two weeks. She smelt of dried blood and sweat and getting mail off of her broken arm was going to hurt, a lot.

Reluctantly Kel unbuckled her sword belt, removed her wrist-guards and slipped the make shift sling from over her head. As she began to struggle out of the mail Kel felt a large pair of hands easing the metal over first one arm and her head, then gently off her massively swollen left arm. Kel looked down; her shirt was disgustingly stained; yellow sweat patches were marred by iron-brown patches where blood had soaked through the mail.

The healer stripped Kel down to her underwear behind a screen, tutting over Kel's makeshift bandages and probing her for injuries. Horrible bruises littered her body and from what Kel could see of it, her back was one big bruise caught spectacularly in the transition from purple to a yellowing-brown.

Kel insisted on washing herself and sponged the worst of the dirt from off her body and out of her hair. Slopping water over the flagstone floor as she did so. Flakes of crusty blood turned the water brown and the healer had to change the water twice before Kel was satisfied that she was as clean as possible under the circumstances.

The healer brought her a baggy set of wide breeches and linen shirt as well as a clean loincloth. Retaining her breast band, Kel changed and sat down on the bed to wait. Raoul, having been informed it was safe to do so, sidled around the screen.

'Kel you're bleeding!' Raoul exclaimed after a few minutes of silence.

Kel looked down and saw a scarlet patch on her hip. She muttered a curse. 'Must've cracked the scab.' At that moment, Duke Baird appeared.

'My apologies Lady Squire,' I had to heal more than one wound before letting your valiant soldiers return to their barracks.'

'Are they okay?' Kel's voice was anguished. 'Is Neal alright?'

'My son is sleeping in this very room,' Duke Baird reassured Kel. 'With a few days rest he will regain his Gift and be just fine.'

'We owe him our lives.' Kel told the older man, thinking of how Neal's Gift had decimated half of Stenmun's forces, bound the Scanran soldiers to silence, and patched up the injured, how his sword and determination had opened the gate in the critical point in the battle...

'Funny,' said Duke Baird. 'He says the same of you.'

In under five minutes Kel's hip was sorted and her head wound healed. That left her arm. Duke Baird's gift reached out with cooling through the inflamed tissue.

'Keladry I'm going to have to reset two of these breaks,' said the healer gravely. Kel nodded, giving her permission.

Bone grated in her arm and Kel cried out in agony. Raoul reached for her hand and squeezed, bringing Kel back to the present. Panting, Kel gritted her teeth whilst Neal's father finished his work, determined not to faint again. Raoul distracted her by filling her in on what he'd been doing in her absence.

When he'd finished the Duke manipulated her stiff arm. 'You should be back to normal within the week.' Kel's eyes widened; that was some serious healing she'd had.

Baird consulted the notes his assistant had handed him. 'May I see your back?'

Kel turned so that her back faced the two men and lifted her shirt up shoulder level. Raoul gasped in horror.

'What in the divine realms happened?' Baird observed the horizontal lines of bruising.

'Thrown down stairs,' Kel muttered, not wanting to go into detail about that terrible fight. Cool fire sank in to Kel's back and she marvelled at how painfree and light a person could feel. The effects of the energy drink were wearing off. Healings always made her tired. Kel slept.

* * *

The memories of the recent weeks were painful, but being rested and mostly healed allowed Kel to see things in a more positive light.

Kel retold her version of events the next afternoon, aided by Neal when her voice faltered. When the story was done, the two Lords wore different expressions. Raoul's impressed, Wyldon's puzzeld.

'It is an extraordinary tale,' said the Lord of Cavall slowly. 'How did you know how to cross the Vassa? How did you manage to convince Scanrans to join you, enlist the help of the villagers? How did you tirck the slave traders into thinking you were a slave?

Kel looked into Wyldon's scarred, steady face.

'When I disappeared,' Kel said, deciding that now was time to start revealing her Scanran ties. 'I spent most of those years in Scanra.' Her story was easier to tell each time. 'I used to gather information for a group of rebel fighters. I spent a fair amount of time as a slave.' Kel showed the number burned onto her arm. 'I've fought for the Scanran's homes already. It helped me convince them to aid us.'

Lord Wyldon, shook his head, struggling to absorb this information. He saw from Raoul and Neal's lack of shock that they had already known Kel's secret.

'I removed you from Page training in a foolish attempt to protect you.' Wyldon said slowly, 'Only you, Keladry of Mindelan would go and join a group of rebel fighters instead.'

* * *

That evening Kel took herself for a walk around the fort. After weeks on the road the safety of Mastiff felt too confining.

The air was warm and the night as still as the glittering heavens. Kel smoothed her green Goldenlake tunic, wondering how on earth she was still a squire. Faleron of King's Reach acknowledged Kel as she passed under his guard post.

Kel found a quiet corner and ran through some sword exercises, trying to work the stiffness out of her arms. It had been a while since she'd had the energy to train.

The next day, Kel decided, she was going to drill against someone who knew how to use an axe, and maybe she could ask Raoul if he knew of any effective moves that might've aided her in her fight against Stenmun. Kel wasn't one to identify a weakness and not try to fix it.

* * *

Soon after Kel returned to her room there was a quiet knock on her door. Stepping aside, Kel let her tall friend enter. Neal did not say anything but hovered by the window. Kel sat on her bed, gently stretching and waiting patiently for words to come.

'I just spoke to Lady Alanna, by a magelink. She's only just heard that I'd gone, although it's all still unofficial of course.' Neal played with green fire between his fingers. 'I couldn't tell her,' Neal said in a choked voice. 'She taught me to uses my Gift to heal. And yet I made them burn...' His hands balled into fists and the green fire vanished. 'Every time I close my eyes or my mind drifts I can hear that crackling, screaming. I can see us fighting, surrounded and so terrified that we'd never make it out of that bloodbath.' His expression was haunted. 'How do you bear it?'

'I'm sorry,' said Kel. 'It was I who led you there, who made you put your Gift to such a terrible use. Their blood is on me, not you, Neal.' She sighed. 'If I've learnt one thing it's that war is ugly; no glorious battle to be reminisced at firesides. It damages, body and mind. We're left with memories, nightmares, forced to bear witness over and over to terrible deeds. Maybe it's the Gods way of making us think twice before we go to fight?' Kel shrugged. 'We just endure it and let time ease the memories.'

Kel moved so that her legs hung off of the end of the bed. 'It's only been a few days Neal,' she said understandingly. 'It took me four years to tell you what happened in Scanra. Just cling on to the thought of what might've occurred had we not acted.

Neal turned from the window to regard Kel with heavy emerald eyes. 'You're the oldest eighteen-year-old I've ever met.'

'Nineteen,' realised Kel. She must've turned nineteen at some point during their mission.

'Thanks,' said Neal after another five minutes of silence. 'You were the only one who I thought would understand.'

'Thank you,' said Kel awkwardly, as Neal reached the door. 'For coming after me, for trusting me.' She said quietly, 'It means a lot.'

The two friends embraced each other; words weren't necessary. If Alex was her brother, then Neal, Kel decided, was the best friend she'd ever have.

* * *

In the days after, Kel kept a close eye on Neal but he appeared to be coping much better. He was back to making clever remarks, and helping in the infirmary at any rate.

Owen looked older, but bore his burden stoically. The cheery squire was stronger than he looked, brimming with determination. He would be fine.

Kel saw Dom intermittently. He was working hard with his squad, training the two new recruits that had been assigned to them. One morning after sword drill Kel found the men of the Own and quietly thanked them, promising that if ever there was something she could do to return their loyalty, then she would.

Kel eyed the two new members. Both were young. A Bazhir and a similarly tanned man whose quality of sword and boots spoke of nobility.

'Akmire Ikn Dohl and Roge of Meron, meet Squire Keladry of Mindelan.' Dom introduced.

The recruits seemed tongue-tied at being found amongst all the veteran warriors. Looking round Kel was hardly surprised; they all still bore bruises and scrapes from Scanra.

'Don't ever challenge Squire Kel to a duel,' advised Seth seriously.

'Or steal a bunch of people in front of her,' whispered Derom. 'She's mean.'

The recruit's eyes widened as they observed Kel and her mild expression.

'Milord picked her for a reason.'

'So did Dom,' snickered Peter.

Dom glared.

'Come off it Serg,' protested Seth. 'You're the worst kept secret in Third Company, after my Lord and Commander Buri of course.' Dom scowled at his new Corporal.

'Fine,' he turned to the new men. 'Yes Kel and I are courting-'

'That's one way of putting it,' snorted Derom.

'And no you're not supposed to know.' Dom finished. He threw his arms up in the air in a very Neal-like gesture. 'We should've left them all in Scanra, Kel.' He declared.

'Nonsense, then Lady Kel would be forced to look after you herself.' Said Seth.

'I can take that promotion back,' Dom warned.

Kel left them to it. The King's Own looked after each other. They too would be fine.

Before returning to her knight-master Kel made one final trip to the barracks housing the refugees. Kel was greeted enthusiastically by all and found it hard to fight her way through to the people she wanted to see.

'You're looking a mite better,' Fanche remarked. Saefas, resting his wounded leg on a bed behind Fanche called, 'Nice to see you Lady Kel.' Kel waved.

'Your young family's over there,' Fanche pointed. At one end of the barracks all the Scanran's had congregated. Hal, Isra and Meah, being the only children there were the centre of attention and lived up to the task, singing, playing and re-inacting their favourite tales.

Eron strode down the central isle towards Kel.

'I can see,' he shouted, embracing kel and then holding her at arms length. 'By Yarzhed you've grown.' Kel beamed into the blue eyes that were uncloudy once more.

'Thank your tall healer friend.'

'Kel, Kel,' shrieked Hal and Meah, throwing themselves onto the Lady squire.

* * *

Alex's legs were burning by the time he'd made it to the crest of the hill. The others were waiting ahead, mounted. Not for the first time he cursed the lameness that had left them two horses short.

Travelling south had been hard work, sharing horses they took it in turns to run and walk, an activity which left them sweaty and exhausted.

There before him lay castle Rathhausak, his home. Fassin handed Alex a spyglass wordlessly. He examined the familiar parapets and turrets, his heart thumping. It was all very still.

Raising the tube higher Alex caught sight of a white fluttering flag. Who dared to removed the flag of his kinsmen? It unfurled, almost in slow motion. Realisation and emotion crashed over him.

His flag of freedom flew, printed by a hand that could only have been Kel's.

'Come on,' he shouted, already running down the trail that wound around to Rathhausak.

* * *

Please review, it's Christmas :D

xxx


	75. Conversations

I'm SO sorry about the wait for this one. I wrote about 70% of this chapter before the chaos of term descended and then there was no time, then I was lambing on a farm, then skiing, you know how it goes... I can only justify the wait by saying that I wanted to incorporate lots of details and ideas into this chapter, I hope it's worked; I'm feeling very rusty...

I also hope this chapter finds you all well and that you hadn't given up on me! Thanks as always to the reviews/people who message me. I love you all dearly.

Confusedknight xxx

* * *

Kel departed from Mastiff as a member of a small group that included Raoul, Wyldon and Owen. They rode south through the sunshine, onto the Great North Road. Travelling to Northwatch by this route would be safer than if they traversed the rocky terrain and forests that was the direct route to the centre of the northern defences.

Sad as she was to leave behind Neal and Dom, the latter of whom would shortly ride to Steadfast to rejoin Third Company, it felt good to be on the road again. Raoul disliked leaving his men even for a short period of time, but Kel knew that Flyndan would keep the Company safe. Steadfast was under the temporary command of Sir William of Nond but as it was the Scanrans hadn't attacked since their last army was beaten so spectacularly by General Vanget.

They stopped to eat lunch on the grassy roadside, filling up their canteens in the brook that bubbled nearby. The countryside might have been similar to Scanra, but the tension and pace of journey was completely different. The knights and their squires weren't complacent; they had a squad of regular soldiers scouting around, but the chance of attack was minimal.

The reason for their journey was a meeting that was to take place at Northwatch, the main Northern fort where Vanget commanded. Raoul hadn't specifics on who would be attending, but Kel had a feeling that a lot of important people wanted to get together and discuss, amongst other things, the demise of the killing devices. Raoul had warned her that she might have to give a first hand account of their Scanran adventure.

They rode into a small town in the early evening where Wyldon said he knew an excellent Inn. Kel blinked. She shouldn't have been surprised; this was Tortall, the two lords weren't going to curl up under their cloaks on a roadside.

'Where are we exactly, Sir?' Owen asked, looking around at the thatched houses, village green and the geese and chickens that milled about.

'Queensgrace, and we're headed for the Jug and Fire.' Replied Lord Wyldon.

It took Kel a few moments to realise why Queensgrace rang a bell in her memory. This town had been where Alex had fled to when he'd left Scanra ten years previously. This was where he'd fallen in love with Annie.

Kel looked around excitedly, as though expecting to see a sign saying 'Annie's house'. Kel was intrigued by this lady who'd so enchanted the seventeen-year old Alex.

They supped early, the atmosphere at the table decidedly strange. Unlike in the Own, when Raoul and Kel would mix with the men, the regular army folk did not join the two knights and their charges in the private room. Kel, who was usually much better at listening to other people's conversations and nodding or smiling when appropriate found it all slightly awkward.

The ride had exhausted their conversations about the war and defences in general. They sipped their soup in a silence only interspersed with Owen's occasional random comment.

'I received several letters this morning,' Wyldon spoke up as he laid his soup spoon carefully down. 'One of them from my youngest daughter. She sends her regards to both of you and hopes that once this war is over that you will visit her in Cavall.' His mouth twitched. 'She is finding life rather dull with all the young fighters up here in the North.'

'I forgot you were friends with Lucie too,' said Owen, using the last of his bread to soak up the remnants of his soup.

Raoul and Wyldon both looked away, suddenly busy refolding their napkins or arranging their cutlery; they knew of Kel's sacrifice for her friend.

The silence was uncomfortable. Then suddenly, the door burst open making Owen nearly fall of his seat with fright. The three others reached for the hilts of their swords. Framed in the doorway was an extremely short woman with fiery-red hair. Raoul leapt up and embraced his friend so enthusiastically that her feet left the floor. They pounded each other on the back.

'Goldenlake it's good to see you,' Alanna exclaimed wearily, when Raoul put her down. 'Even if I do need to heal my ribs every time you do that,' she massaged her ribcage. Holding out a hand, one of the chairs stacked in the corner of the room flew over in a rush of purple fire. With a sigh, Alanna plonked herself unceremoniously on the slightly smoking chair.

She raised a hand tiredly to acknowledge Lord Wyldon, the other hand reaching for the bread on the centre of the table. 'I'm famished.'

'How long've you been on the road?' Raoul asked, resettling himself in his chair.

'Nearly four, very long days,' Alanna replied after she'd swallowed her mouthful of bread. 'Still, at least I'm out of that godsforsaken camp.'

Wyldon raised his eyebrows.

'We've spent all year fighting over that lump of rock,' Alanna said grouchily. 'And now both sides have come to a stalemate of sorts.' Kel realised that the Lady Knight was referring to Frasrlund.

The serving girl began to clear away their plates, her eyes downcast. Kel was reminded of herself when she'd served her own brother in a village north of Mindelan all those years ago, so she smiled and thanked the maid when her own plate was taken.

'Inform Alvik that there'll be an extra guest for dinner,' Wyldon instructed. The girl curtsied and left the room.

Alanna stretched out her back with a groan and looked over her dining companions.

'Pleased to have your squires back?' she asked innocently.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' said Raoul airily pouring his smaller friend a drink.

'Come off it Goldenlake, I can tell when George is lying.'

'How did you find out? I thought we'd contained-'

The serving lady wheeled a tray back in, laden with food. Kel and Owen leapt up to serve their knight-masters, leaving Alanna to the maid.

'I miss my squire sometimes, I could do with a few good arguments to break up the monotony of border life.'

When they'd all got food. The Lioness explained.

'I was scrying one day and to my surprise saw Neal and a bunch of King's Own soldiers and those two,' Alanna waved a fork at Owen and Kel, 'settling down in a camp with a whole herd of children and Scanrans. You all looked in a pretty bad way so I called Baird, who explained before I did anything stupid. I look forward to hearing the story.'

Kel nodded politely but didn't launch into the tale and Alanna seemed content to chat with Raoul, moaning about Lord Dandred of King's Reach whose command post neighboured her own.

Just as Kel was starting to feel like she couldn't eat another bite, there was a knock on the door. Wyldon stared, a slight frown on his face.

'Another guest?' he asked dryly.

The door swung open and a tall, hazel-eyed man with a slightly crooked nose stood in the door way. His stance was casual, his dress simple; shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal tanned, wiry forearms.

Kel barely had time to register George Cooper before the Lioness had flung herself on her husband. The energetic kiss lasted for quite some time. Lord Wyldon averted his gaze, Owen stared in wide-eyed surprise whilst Raoul simply looked amused.

'I've missed ye laddybuck,' Alanna whispered into the Baron's shirt. George tucked his wife firmly into the crook of his arm.

Raoul got up to shake George's hand, followed by Wyldon.

'How did you find us?' Alanna demanded, looking fondly up at George.

'Knew you'd be coming this way,' George shrugged. 'Lass you're not exactly inconspicuous. Arrived here about twenty minutes ago. Asked but two shop owners and they led me here.' He kissed the top of her head. 'I won't be sending you out into the field any time soon.'

'I can handle me own, Cooper,' replied Alanna, imitating her husband's speech.

Kel watched the exchange, realising for the first time why this unlikely pair were a happily married couple. Before she'd only ever seen the two apart. George, shrewd and silent involved in a complex world of trickery and secrets. Alanna loud and quick-tempered, fighting her battles where everyone could see. It had been hard to see just how well they complimented each other. Rumours told that Baron Cooper had once been a thief of sorts. Kel would dearly have liked to know just how they'd first met.

Their party retired to the sofa and cushioned armchairs by the fire. Alanna and George shared a chair, the lady knight encased in his arms. Raoul took the remaining chair and Kel, rather than squeezing between Wyldon and Owen on the sofa, sat down on the rug by the fire, curling her knees round to the side of her.

'What news from the South, George?'

'If my lady would oblige,' he grinned and Alanna sent her purple fire to stopper up the door and windows.

'The chimney?' Kel suggested innocently, causing George to roar with laughter. Another stream of violet fire blocked the chimney whilst the others looked confusedly between Kel and the chuckling Baron.

Alanna prodded her husband. 'What?'

'I once brought our daughter to a...' George hesitated -'Business meeting. She felt that climbing down a chimney would be a good way to spy on her father.'

'Why am I not surprised? snickered Raoul.

'But how did Kel know?' asked Owen confusedly, blushing when everyone's attention turned to him.

'It came up in conversation once,' said Kel, perfectly calmly. 'When we were hunting those raiders at Bay Cove.'

'I reckoned squire Kel here would get on well with our unruly daughter. They both seem to be fans of crazy stunts.' George observed Kel evenly with his deep hazel eyes. 'The things I've been hearing.'

Kel had no doubt that George would've been informed by the smugglers the moment that they'd left Tortall. Maybe, if she could speak to him alone at some point then she could inquire about Alex. The thought cheered her.

George filled them in on the events from the capital; general information such as the goings on in the King's court down to how Alanna's son Alan was getting on as a page. It was about three bells to midnight when Alanna and George stood up. Still tightly clutched in George's embrace, Alanna explained that they wanted an early night.

Raoul snorted. George grinned lazily. 'I'd get an early night yourself Goldenlake, I hear Commander Buri's riding to Northwatch as we speak.' Raoul coloured but his face filled with a boyish excitement.

'Night gentlemen,' George saluted. 'And gentlewoman,' he added as an afterthought, whisking his wife away.

'Why don't we all get early nights too?' asked Owen, stretching. Kel winced. Raoul held back a chuckle as Wyldon struggled to find words to deal with his squire's obliviousness to euphemisms.

'Goodnight.' The chair creaked ominously as Raoul stood up. 'Kel,' he beckoned her. 'Our rooms are up this way.'

'Sir I'd like to check on Prince,' Kel fished an apple out of the pocket of her breeches.

'I may as well come with you,' said Raoul. 'It's far too early to go to bed, I'll never sleep.'

'It's a pity Buri's not here.'

'And why would that be, my insubordinate squire?'

'I'm sure she could entertain you for a while,' Kel shot back, grinning wickedly, 'The commander's an interesting conversationalist.'

Raoul followed Kel out to the stables muttering about how in "his day" squires had more respect for their knight-masters.

'Oh but I do respect you, I respect your choice-'

'You're beginning to sound horribly like Queenscove.'

Raoul's last remark shut Kel up and the silence of the stable yard allowed them to hear a horrible thump followed by a child's yell.

'I told you not to be out 'ere foolin' with them horses. Not when there's real work to be done.'

Raoul and Kel quickened their pace in synch. Rounding a corner they came to a stable, empty but of a bale of straw and a man raising a leather strap over a huddling form.

Kel felt anger rising within her. Raoul looked similarly angry and they moved forward together, Raoul catching the leather whip as it began it's descent and yanking it from the pot-bellied man's hands. Kel reached for the scrap of a boy on the floor. He flinched at her touch, wild blue eyes finding Kel's.

Kel gasped. Alex's eyes stared out from beneath a familiar wide set brow and nose, almost hidden by dirty lank hair. The boy couldn't have been older than ten, scrawny and ragged he simply sat their, observing Kel.

'What's your name?' Kel croaked.

'Tobeis, milady.' He looked completely bemused as to why the two nobles were interfering on his behalf.

Kel helped the boy to his feet, her thoughts swirling. She hated people who beat children.

'Please tell me he's not your son,' asked Raoul, disgusted.

'This worthless piece of animal dung? No, he works here. Tis an act of charity, he's but a fatherless scanran whelp. I've the right to discipline him as I see fit.'

'He's not a slave,' said Kel, her voice dangerously quiet. 'And I think the district magistrate would be interested to know what's been going on here.'

'The magistrate won't bother himself over this scrap,' replied the innkeeper confidently.

'He will if I tell him to,' Raoul replied calmly, though his black eyes burned with anger.

'All this fuss over some whore's son,' the greasy man shock his head in amazement. 'Ain't you nobles got nothing better to do?'

'This boy is ten times the man you'll ever be,' Kel had her arm encircled protectively around Tobeis.

'He ain't done a decent days work in his pathetic life,' protested the innkeeper.

'Then you won't mind if we relieve you of such a burden,' Kel shot back. 'How much did you pay for him?'

'Hang on now-'

'How much?' She demanded.

'Five Copper pieces.'

'Liar,' Tobeis spoke suddenly, making the three adults jump. 'You didn't pay three. And I ain't never been given no wage.'

Kel dug around in her belt pouch, pulling out four copper bits. She wasn't in the mood to haggle over the young boy.

'Raoul'll stand as witness to this,' Kel warned the man, 'so you'd best destroy whatever paperwork you've got. You're not laying another finger on this boy.'

The Innkeeper snatched the money, shot Kel a filthy look and slouched away, muttering about jumped up, interfering sluts. Kel held out a hand to stop Raoul from starting after the man. 'Leave it. I got what I wanted.'

The Knight and Squire looked down at the dirty sack of bones that gaped up at them.

'Come on Tobeis,' said Raoul kindly, 'Why don't we go and get you cleaned up?'

The boy looked suspicious. 'What do you care about the likes of me?'

Raoul raised his eyebrows, amused. 'A forward little chap.' They both looked to Kel.

She couldn't tell this boy that she suspected she knew his father. Instead Kel voiced the reason that would've served had she not recognised him. She squatted so that she was at Tobe's level. 'If you can believe it,' she said quietly, 'I was once like you. I've been sold, ill-treated and beaten by men who think there's naught wrong with it. But there is. And I'll not turn a blind-eye, no matter who the bully or the victim is.'

Tobe's eyes were wide and he seemed satisfied with her answer.

'How long had you been working for him?' Kel asked.

'Alvik took me on when old Eulama died, uh four years ago, milady.'

'And Eulama was?'

'The midwife who raised me.'

'Do you know who your parents are?'

'Eulama told me my ma was Annie,' he hung his head. 'But I'm a bastard child.'

_If only you knew_, Kel thought, _You're the rightful Prince of Scanra_.

* * *

Kel's initial instinct was to cover-up the truth about Tobe's parentage, but once the boy was cleaned, bandaged and sleeping soundly on a pallet on the floor, Kel sought out her knight-master.

'He's sleeping,' she said quietly, slipping through the door.

'Good, we can get Alanna to heal him properly in the morning,' Raoul ran his fingers through his hair. 'Have you thought what you're going to do with him?'

'I thought perhaps to enquire of a position at Northwatch,' she mused. 'If not Fanche or Eron will take care of him.'

'Good,' said Raoul, stretching his spine with a small groan.

'I'm not sure, sir,' said Kel, although she was almost one hundred percent so, 'but I think he may be the son of one of my Scanran friends.'

Raoul shot her a questioning look.

'He mentioned a woman called Annie from Queensgrace, and I saw his looks in Tobe.' For Tobeis had insisted on being called Tobe.

'Does he know that he has a son?'

'I'm not sure.' Kel wanted to say no, but Alex had visited Tortall, shortly before they'd met. Had he gone to check on Annie only to find her dead and a babe in her place?

'But I owe him, it's the least I can do to keep his child safe.'

* * *

Kel gaped. The fortress that rose before them was as big as Kel had ever seen. Built from stone, rather than hastily constructed wood, the walls towered at the same level as the trees of the northern forests. Trenches ten metres wide and four metres deep were filled with spikes, preventing anyone from getting near to the fort, except by the bridge that led up to steel plated doors.

The others who'd all visited Northwatch before seemed relatively unimpressed, all except for Tobe who whistled.

'Cor it's bigger than the whole of Queensgrace,' he breathed. Alvik the innkeeper had apparently not managed to beat the spirit out of the young boy. He'd been surprisingly inquisitive about Kel and where they were going. Completely besotted by the warhorses, he appeared beside them anytime they took a break from riding, crooning and muttering softly to the huge beasts.

Alanna had healed the boy's assorted injuries. By the time she was finished she was in a towering rage, and it was all George and Raoul could do to stop her from hunting down the Innkeeper and dealing out her own brand of punishment, whether by sword and fist or the crackling magic that danced across her palms.

Soldiers in regular army uniform heaved the doors to the fort open, admitting their small group to the centre of Tortall's northern defences. Their horses were whisked away, and Zahir, a knight who'd been a fourth year page in Kel's probationary year, lead them through the fort, past massive two-storey barracks and row upon row of stables, to a central building that was the size of a large manor house.

'General Vanget awaits you in his study.' Zahir bowed politely to the two lords, his dark eyes slipping sideways to stare at Kel, who pretended that she hadn't seen him.

Raoul knocked and they all trooped in to the biggest study Kel had ever seen. Not only did Vanget have two massive oak desks, but also a huge oval table that stood in the middle of the left part of the room. It could have seated twenty easily. The walls were covered from knee-height to the ceiling in detailed maps. More, three-dimensional maps of the border were constructed on yet another table by the window.

Paper work was stacked feet deep on one of the desks. An untouched breakfast tray on the other. Once she'd got over the shock of the room, Kel's eyes were immediately drawn to the General himself.

He was shorter than Raoul, just under six feet tall, and had a sort of wirey stringiness about him. The hair on his head was cropped short, flecked with grey streaks. A well-used sword hung at his hip and Kel could see the scars that littered the stringy arms. This was a noble man who was used to hard work.

'Raoul, Wyldon,' Vanget stode forward, a half smile on his face. 'Alanna, It's been a while.' Vanget also shook Alanna's hand. Kel approved that he didn't seem to hold anything against lady knight's.

'Well you're the one who's been keeping me on the godscursed coast!' Alanna pointed out, only pretending to be angry.

'And I see the salty air has done your sharp tongue no good at all, pity.' Vanget shook his head. 'And George Cooper,' the General shook the Baron's hand firmly. 'Not a day goes by when I don't thank all the gods I know for having you on our side.'

'Oh I'm just keeping myself busy, out of trouble like.'

Alanna snorted. 'I don't think you've ever gone one day without causing trouble, laddy.'

'He was knocked unconscious for that Midwinter though,' Raoul pointed out.

'And all that trouble I took to ride, heavily pregnant to his bedside?' Alanna growled. 'This man causes me grief even when he's not up and about.'

Everyone laughed, George grinning apologetically at his wife.

'Squires Owen and Keladry.' the General spoke again. 'I've heard good things of both of you,' Vanget's brown eyes were direct and Kel dropped her gaze. She knew he was talking of their foray into Scanra.

* * *

Once the greetings were over, Kel followed Raoul to the suite he'd been assigned in headquarters. It was a spacious room, fitted with bed, desk and a table at which they could eat. One door to the right of the desk led to a privy, whereas the door on the far wall opened to reveal Kel's sleeping quarters, a small box room with just enough room for a bed and a chest in which Kel could put her things.

Without any official meetings to attend, Kel and Raoul spent an enjoyable afternoon outside. To the amusement of the watching soldiers, Raoul and Kel took several runs at each other down the tilting lane. Only the first ended in Kel flying from Prince's saddle, however. After that she firmly stuck out the arm-shattering impacts.

'Barbaric sport,' Kel muttered as she wiped the sweat from Prince's chestnut coat. She had her revenge later on, when they fenced against each other. Halfway through the afternoon, Kel lost her sparring partner to a small dark K'mir woman that had just ridden into Mastiff.

With a slightly apologetic grin, Raoul hurried away, trying to pretend that he was only politely interested in the new arrivals and failing miserably. Kel continued for another hour, fighting Lord Wyldon and a couple of other, younger knights.

Tobe, who had become a small blonde shadow watched the fighting patiently. Kel couldn't help but think that if circumstances had been different, if Alex had been able to stay with his family, then Tobe would've grown up with a sword in hand. Did she owe it to Alex to start teaching the boy? She didn't even know what to do with him...

Sighing, Kel stopped her practice session, stretched out her legs and went to try and sort Tobe out, with a temporary job at least, in the massive stable complex.

* * *

To Kel's slight disappointment, the first meeting was just for the various commanders to attend, to give detailed reports in person to Vanget. Raoul told her that she wasn't going to miss much; it was tomorrow's meeting where they would discuss future strategies.

Kel had a thorough wash in the small women's bathhouse and decided to get an early night. Tobe was sleeping safely in one of the lofts above the stables with the other hostlers. Those hazel eyes of his had sparked fresh memories of Alex in her mind, and she fell asleep to those comforting thoughts.

When she awoke, a thin beam of sunlight was fighting it's way through the very small, opaque window set high in the wall of the rectangular cupboard that had been designed for use by a squire. She changed somewhat awkwardly in the near dark and small space, and then realised that her only exit would take her into Raoul's chambers where he undoubtedly still slept.

Not knowing what time the meeting had finished the previous evening gave Kel no guess as to when her knight-master might wake. Picking up her boots in one hand and her scabbard in the other, Kel crept mouse-like through Raoul's room and out into the corridor. Kel closed the door slowly behind her, relieved that the two figures hadn't roused. Pulling on her boots and buckling Courage onto her belt, Kel headed out into the fresh morning. The fort was already abuzz with activity. A whole company seemed to be drilling, taking up most of the practice courts. Not wanting to get in the way or attract staring eyes, Kel sighed and decided that she'd settle for a run instead; Northwatch was big enough for her to really stretch her legs.

It was a beautiful day, the sky deep blue, not a wisp of a cloud in sight. She felt her face grow hot as her run progressed, but the light breeze was enough to stop it from being unpleasant.

'Squire Kel.'

Kel slowed, turning her head to seek for the source of the voice.

'Up here.' She lifted her gaze and saw George Cooper silhouetted against the dazzling sky. Kel changed the direction of her jog and trotted up wooden steps until she too was on the wide ramparts, staring out across the treetops.

'Well ye're not like my lass,' commented George. 'She's not one to rise this early.'

'It's well worth it on a day like this,' replied Kel, using the view as an excuse to not look into those strangely penetrating hazel eyes.

Kel glanced sideways along the wall, the nearest guard was nearly forty metres away.

'Have you heard?' The question burst quietly from her before she could help it. 'From him?'

'Not directly,' replied George after a pause, his mouth barely moving as he spoke. 'I hear all sorts of whispers, something here, something there. Not been able to put a solid location.'

'That's something at least,' Kel breathed.

'You want to find him?'

'Not a day goes by when I don't wonder what they're up to,' Kel admitted. 'Where they are, what they've been doing,' she swallowed, 'Who's still alive.'

'And yet you never go to join them? asked George slyly.

'I'm not about to betray Tortall if that's what you're asking?' Kel said bluntly, and sensing George's next point, she continued, 'I went after the refugees because that was about Blayce and how five hundred people deserved their lives and their freedom.'

'I'm not about to reprimand you for that, though Vanget might try,' George replied. 'Between you, me and the gatepost it's a bloody good thing that someone did away with Blayce. The outcome of another year fighting those machines would've been a bleak one.'

'Why couldn't your people find him? Why didn't Alex know where he was and let you know?' Kel voiced the questions that had bothered her for months.

'My people,' snorted George, 'are few and far between and no one even considered Rathhausak, it's become so isolated, so avoided that no news filtered to the capital or the other clans that could've done anything about it.'

They fell into silence.

'An interesting boy, that Tobe,' George commented mildly.

Of course Kel hit herself mentally. George would've picked up on Tobe's Scanran heritage.

'He's surprisingly good-natured, given what he's been though,' Kel replied equally conversationally.

'You think it a good idea that he travels with warriors on the front line of a war?'

'He's been granted a position in the stables here,' Kel explained, well aware that for all her evasive conversation, George knew Tobe was Alex's.

'The safest place along the entire border,', George said approvingly. 'An heir of Scanra, hidden under Vanget's nose.'

'They can't know,' said Kel, suddenly serious, turning her intense gaze upon the spymaster. George raised his eyebrows.

'He can't become leverage or a face behind which we ride to war,' Kel gripped her sword hilt unconsciously. 'Alex has got to be the one to get rid of Maggur or that country will never be united. The people won't accept a King that Tortall has put on the throne.'

'You're a very astute young women,' said George quietly. 'And you can relax, this will be our secret.' Kel let out the breath she'd been holding. 'But at some point, when this all comes out, you'll have to face those you kept things from.' He nodded to Kel and walked away, leaving Kel to ponder his warning message. Somehow she felt he was referring to more than simply Tobe.

* * *

Kel completed her run and arrived out of breath at the door to Raoul's quarters. Cautiously she peeked inside and saw that Raoul and Buri were tucking into breakfast. She opened the door properly and entered.

'Goodness have you been for a run already?' yawned Buri. 'Raoul your squire is putting you to shame.'

'I'm used to it,' shrugged Raoul, simultaneously pouring glasses of juice and beckoning Kel to join them.

Kel rolled up her shirt sleeves and quickly washed her face and hands in the basin before seating herself at the table.

'Was anything interesting said at the meeting last night?' asked Kel, buttering some bread.

'Not really,' replied Raoul through a mouthful of food. He swallowed, 'Reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the border, our losses, their losses, submitted our supply requests...'

Kel thought of the extensive documents drawn up by herself, Raoul and the clerks at Steadfast.

'Why Vanget had to have the meeting now, I don't know,' said Buri, lazily tracing a finger across Raoul's wrist, 'It would make much more sense to have it in a couple of months time when we're sure the fighting is over for the year.'

Raoul shrugged, 'I'm sure Vanget has his reasons. And I'm not complaining.'

'Where've you been stationed Commander?'

'Buri' said the dark-skinned woman interrupted. 'Up by the City of the Gods.'

'Oh,' said Kel, who had made an impressive effort not to display any of the feelings that thoughts about that city bought up. Raoul was not as subtle and his head jerked upwards, scrutinising Kel. Buri hadn't missed this.

'Oh I forgot you'd lived up there,' said Buri, 'Have you ever-'

'Buri,' Raoul cut his lover off short.

'What?' she demanded.

'You didn't tell her?' Kel asked quietly. She had half assumed that Raoul would've explained to his best friend and lover about why she'd disappeared all those years ago.

'It's not my story to tell.'

By now Buri was looking thoroughly confused at the exchange between knight and squire.

'I don't mind,' said Kel, putting down her half-finished bread. 'I think I'll go and warm-up, I'm meant to be fencing against Alanna this morning.' She slipped out of the room, appetite gone.

* * *

'How did you know that Sergeant Domitan liked you?'

Kel was somewhat thrown by Owen's question, but quickly realised that this day was simply destined for awkward conversations when Owen continued;

'It's just...well I like someone but she seems to, I don't know if, she's nice to everyone, sometimes especially to me, but I can't ask if, he wouldn't like it but she probably doesn't...'

'Owen,' said Kel, interrupting the ramblings.

'-Oh and I didn't mean to treat you like a girl, well you are a girl, but that doesn't mean I'd have to come to you, but it's just you know her and I wondered well...'

Several things were clicking together in Kel's mind.

'You like Lucie?'

Owen flushed an even deeper scarlet than usual. 'We spent quite a lot of time together whilst on Progress and at Cavall. She writes to me too...but I don't want to betray my Lord.' He finished miserably, looking down at Kel, who was suddenly struck by how serious he was.

'I think,' she said carefully, 'That my Lord would be proud to have you as a son.'

'A son,' Owen gulped.

'If you're serious about Lucie, and you must be,' Kel's tone carried an unnecessary warning. 'Then I think you should court her properly when you're knighted.'

'But what if-'

'Owen,' said Kel patiently. 'I can't speak for Lucie, you've got to decide between you if the feelings are mutual. I can merely advise that you wait until Midwinter. Ask my Lord's permission too if it makes you feel better.'

Owen nodded, still looking concerned. He then brightened. 'Midwinter's not too long to wait. And with all the men up north...'

Kel had a sudden jolt as she realised that it was only a couple of months away from Midwinter. The Midwinter where she'd be knighted.

* * *

Two big moments stuck out for Kel in the evenings meeting. The first being her task of relating a concise version of their trip to Scanra to an audience of some of the most influential people in Tortall. Kel was surprised, but pleased to see Prince Roald involved in the discussions. She was not one to mistake a quiet demeanour for stupidity, but Roald had to earn the respect of and learn from this war council. He was to be his father's hand in the north (although he'd later admit to Kel and Owen that this involved little more than paperwork, the odd skirmish, boosting moral and assisting with magical workings.)

Although her face was pinker than normal and her hands felt cold and clammy, Kel told her tale and answered questions without stuttering, trying to resist the temptation of sliding into a Yamani mask. Eventually all were satisfied, if only a little bit disgruntled that Kel had led her own expedition into the North, disobeying orders.

The second startling revelation came from a radiant Daine, who announced that she was pregnant. This was greeted by slightly stunned looks from a lot of people, genuine pleasure on the faces of her friends, and a slightly smug look from Alanna, who'd probably already known about the wildmage's condition. The dark-haired father-to-be appeared to be dazed with happiness. Buri leapt up immediately to hug Daine, congratulating both her and her husband.

When the clamour had died down, Daine admitted that she wasn't sure how a pregnancy would affect her shape-shifting, but at the very worst she could stay at Northwatch and be a relay from the animals to the "two-leggers" about Scanran movements.

'I've also noticed,' she continued, 'That new boy in the stables, scanran-looking, I think the one that arrived with you Raoul, well he's brimming with horse magic. If I am confined to Northwatch then I might be able to train him up, at the least see how far his gifts will take him.'

Raoul thanked Daine and Kel smiled her gratitude at the pretty woman with bouncing curls and sky-blue eyes. Tobe was going to be well looked after.

The meeting finished late and Kel fell into bed fully clothed, dreaming of scanran festivals and their interweaving of music and magical illusions.

* * *

Their trip to Northwatch lasted only three more days and soon Kel's possessions were packed into saddle bags and she was saying goodbye to Roald, Daine, Tobe and Buri. When the Commander of the riders gripped Kel's arm, her expression told Kel that Raoul had indeed shared the truth behind Kel's disappearance.

'I have no doubt, Lady squire,' she said quietly but firmly, 'No matter what route you got there by, you are going to do Raoul, and the Realm proud this Midwinter.'

Kel accepted the compliment with a bow of her head. Buri's respect meant a lot to her.

The outward-going party was composed of the same soldiers and guards, the two lords, the lady knight and her husband and Kel's fellow squire Owen. In fact, the only person who would be remaining at the fort was Tobe, who was enjoying a life that revolved around horses and not beatings.

They rode steadily throughout the day, appreciating the cool breeze that played with strands of hair and tugged gently at their clothing. Midafternoon a guard came trotting past Kel and their nonchalant riding companions slipped into a tight formation. There was movement on the road ahead. As they draw closer they saw that it was three figures, two of which wore army uniform. Kel turned back to her conversation with Owen. A few minutes later the entire group halted.

Kel sat deep in the saddle and gently touched both reigns, indicating that Prince should stop. To her shock, the horse kept going. Kel pulled her reigns properly, surprised that her responsive gelding wasn't listening to her. Prince's ears were pricked up and forward, tossing his chin in the warm summer's breeze and kept on walking forward.

'Prince,' Kel hissed. She was pulling on her reigns firmly now, but Prince barrelled his way past Raoul's warhorse nonetheless.

Kel was so busy concentrating on her disobedient horse that she didn't see just where Prince was headed. Prince lifted his head, fighting her instructions. Annoyed, Kel looked up and saw that they had almost reached the two guards. It was not the guards that Prince was heading for however, but the blonde man that stood between them.

Kel's heart leapt so suddenly that she was surprised it didn't jump clean out of her chest. Her eyes fell upon a face that she'd dreamt for so long about, met another set of hazel that she knew so well.

Kel flung herself from Prince at the same time that Alex slipped his hands from the bonds that he'd only been pretending still bound him.

They crashed into each other somewhere on the road between them and the world just seemed to melt away. It was just Alex, as plain as day. They were hugging each other, gripping tightly as though terrified that they'd lose each other again. Tears of happiness rolled unashamedly down Kel's cheeks as they rocked from side to side latched onto each other, murmuring nonsensically.

Eventually they held each other at arm's length, eyes greedily feasting on the finer details of the faces that time had erased. Words failed. They embraced again, Alex pounding her happily on the back.

'It's been too long, little one.' Alex eventually spoke in her ear, the familiar Scanran voice finally breaking through Kel's disbelief.

'What are you doing here?' she exclaimed. 'I thought, I tried...' she gabbled, 'How?'

'I saw your flag, and decided it was time.'

'It's been far too long,' the massive grin on her face preventing the statement from sounding like an accusation. 'Are there others with you?'

'Not here,' Alex brushed a stray tendril of hair from Kel's face. 'But I know where to find them.'

Alex looked up to a point behind Kel. She turned and was almost surprised to see the three knights staring down at her; she'd completely forgotten her surroundings. The two soldiers who'd thought they'd had a prisoner stood looking shocked, unsure as to whether they were meant to re-arrest Alex.

Kel wiped her face, the smile still plastered across it.

'Maybe Squire Keladry could introduce us?' Lord Wyldon prompted, his eyes flicking from Kel to Alex. Raoul was staring, his expression a cross between shock and intrigue.

'Lady Knight Alanna of Pirate's swoop, Lord Wyldon of Cavall and my Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, this is Alex.' Kel's formal introduction sounded unnecessary. 'He's a very good friend, a brother to me.'

'I am honoured to be in the presence of such famed warriors,' Alex's Tortallan was only slightly tainted with a Scanran accent.

'Why was he under arrest?' Lady Alanna demanded.

'We caught this 'un skulking in the woods not two miles back. Armed he was, we reckon's he was a Scanran spy.' Lord Wyldon raised his eyebrows, clearly thinking that these slow-witted guards would've been very lucky indeed to catch a trained Scanran spy.

Kel looked at Alex her face questioning, what had he been doing?

'I decided the easiest way to get to a fort would be under escort,' he shrugged. 'Just had to walk noisily through the woods and these fine fellows appeared promising to take me directly to Northwatch. I wasn't expecting to find you quite so soon I must admit.'

Kel laughed, truly feeling like the happiest person alive.

'And what business have you at Northwatch?' asked Alanna, who was scrutinising Alex with her violet eyes.

'I was rather hoping to have a word with your husband, Lady Knight,' Alex replied politely, acting the commoner but not at all intimidated by his company.

'Oh you know George do you?' Alanna looked as though she wasn't sure to make of this new information.

'We're old acquaintances, Lass.' George moved forward through the ranks of the warriors surrounding him and dismounted. He strode forward wearing an expression that was as close to shock as Kel thought she'd ever see on the collected man's face.

The two men clasped each others forearms. Kel saw the respect in George's eyes and the smile that broke out on his face. 'It's been a long time.'

'That it has,' agreed Alex. 'Life has been busy.'

George let out a snort. There was a pause in which Prince snuffled Alex's blonde hair affectionately and Kel simply gazed through her damp eyes, barely daring to believe that she wasn't simply dreaming.

'If you are prepared to vouch for your...friend, might I suggest we continue on? I was hoping to reach Mastiff by night fall.' Lord Wyldon interrupted the silence.

'What of our prisoner?' asked the dumpier of the two guards.

'I think he'll be coming with us,' Lord Raoul replied slowly.

* * *

-a/n- THERE! Done at last. I'm exhausted.

Please, please review :D If you do then you might get another chapter before I return to uni :P

**Confusedknigh**t xx


	76. Stuck in the middle

Hello! So, um yes *coughs guiltily* It has been 2 months since I finished my exams. Unfortunately summer finds me with the attention span of a goldfish so this chapter has been a long while in the making.

Thanks for your lovely reviews that make me smile so much, it's wonderful to hear that you're still interested in my story. For the third summer running I'm attempting to finish Fallen, hopefully with weekly updates!

Much love as always,

**Confusedknight** xxx

* * *

Alex, who had no horse and who refused to ride Prince when Kel offered, jogged alongside the group as they travelled west. Kel didn't even try to wipe the broad grin off her face but jabbered away to her friend, feeling like she was fit to burst with happiness and relief.

Aware that George, if not several of their companions had a grasp of Scanran, Kel kept her questions to asking after Fassin, Tor, Marthea and other friends rather than details on Maggur and their campaign. Alex was equally keen to hear of Kel's adventures, in particular their foray to Rathhausak.

'And you have the villagers safe?' he asked.

'Those that were left of them,' said Kel, sobering from her happy haze.

Alex's face was dark. 'All that's left,' he shook his head, pain contorting his features. 'Our mighty Clan, a few refugees scattered, a desolate castle...'

'It will rise again,' said Kel softly but confidently. Alex's gaze was searching and Kel saw a tiredness in Alex's hazel eyes that hadn't been there five years before. A wave of guilt hit her; she had no idea what they must've been through evading and fighting Maggur since she'd been gone.

Silence fell between them until Kel worked up the courage to say, 'We stopped in Queensgrace last week.'

Alex's head whipped around and Kel just knew from his expression that Alex knew of Tobe.

'He's brilliant Alex, got a spirit that would make you proud and horse magic to boot.'

'Horse magic,' whispered Alex in amazement. 'The last time I saw him was just before I met you,' he admitted. 'Another person I've let down.' There was a bitterness to Alex's tone that Kel didn't like.

'You kept him _safe_,' she protested. 'What more can a father do?'

They stopped for lunch on the roadside, to let the horses drink and eat. Bread and dried meat were shared around. Kel handed Alex extra portions of everything; his skin was stretched far too taught across his cheekbones for her liking. He joined in their conversations in Common, Kel finding it strange to hear him speaking so.

'This is _the_ Alex then?' Raoul asked Kel quietly, looking over at the young blonde who was deep in conversation with George.

Kel nodded, her eyes still drinking in every tiny detail of Alex's appearance, quite unable to believe he was actually sitting less than twenty metres from her.

'I don't think I've ever seen you this happy,' said Raoul smiling fondly at his normally serious squire.

Kel turned to Raoul's gentle face. 'Five years of worry, five years of not knowing, and he just appears on the road in front of us... I feel like I'm dreaming,' she confessed.

'So what's the connection?' said Alanna loudly, as though she could no longer contain her curiosity. 'How are you best friends with one of George's associates.'

Both Alex and George looked up at this question.

'Alex taught me how to fight,' said Kel carefully. 'We travelled together for a couple of years.'

'You must be some teacher,' commented Lord Wyldon mildly, his eyes sizing the Scanran up.

'I had a dedicated pupil,' Alex shrugged. 'Scanra's a dangerous place.'

* * *

They continued their journey and stopped in the small town of Hedgeford. Kel was privately glad that they had passed Queensgrace without stopping. At least Alex wouldn't have to revisit those painful memories.

When Kel had finished rubbing Prince down and checking his hooves and joints, she found Alex waiting for her in the yard, leaning on a fencepost.

'Ready to show me what these impressive knights have been teaching you little one?'

'I thought you'd never ask brother,' Kel replied using the Scanran word for "brother".

They both began to limber up. Ten minutes later Kel was just finishing stretching out her arms when Raoul poked his head out of the back of the Inn. 'Are you coming in? The barman wants to know what we want for dinner.'

'I'll eat anything,' replied Kel. 'We'll be in shortly.' She drew her sword with a grin. 'I've waited a long time to be able to do this again.'

Alex drew a blade of the same design to Kel's and feeling that this was not a fight the others would want to miss, Raoul called over his shoulder to Alanna and Wyldon.

The three knights, spy and squire settled themselves on a hay bale. 'Watch and learn my lass,' said George, patting his wife's knee. 'This is going to be something special.'

Kel and Alex bowed deeply to each other.

'Swords only,' Alex clarified.

'Swords only,' replied Kel, beginning to circle.

Almost in response to an unknown signal they dived forward instantaneously at the Kethlun-forged blades met with a resounding clash of steel. So began the most intricate dance of swordplay that Raoul had ever seen.

Because Kel had learnt so much of her craft from Alex, there was a sort of perfect symmetry to the way they moved, gliding from one move to another, blades arcing, cutting and twisting, both fighters relying on the other's skill to prevent serious accident. Their swords met at an alarming frequency, attacks and blocks blurring into one.

Elation flooded through Kel. This is what she was trained for; the time when the surroundings melted away and it was just her and Alex, when it was just two swords and she didn't even have to think, her body just reacted. It wasn't easy, they were battling furiously but the burning chest and arm muscles didn't seem to matter, it was all part of the perfectness of the fight.

'Switch,' called Alex and with only a hairsbreadth pause both of them transferred their weapons to their left hands.

Kel threw in Tortallan moves and even if Alex wasn't used to countering them, his innate speed compensated and neither was able to gain the upper hand. Both fighters began to use all the most complicated and risky moves they knew, but Kel and Alex were adept at dodging and skipping out of the way, their speedy footwork never a toe out of line.

Sword hilts locked, Kel suddenly found herself drawn close to Alex's sweaty face.

'Shall we call this a draw for now? I think our dinner will be ready,' Alex panted.

'Yes,' gasped Kel and they both withdrew their swords.

There was a round of applause. Alex drew her into a one-armed hug and they made their way across the yard to their spectators, grins plastered across both red faces.

'If you trained Kel,' asked Alanna interestedly, 'Where did you learn to fight?'

'I was taught as a boy,' said Alex, sheathing his longsword. 'Just by a man in the town.'

'Well I bloody hope there aren't too many Scanrans who can fight like you,' exclaimed Alanna.

'It is a matter of practise, Lady Knight,' said Alex modestly. 'As I'm sure you're aware.'

They trouped into the inn, Kel feeling Raoul's gaze on the back of her neck. Not for the first time she felt slightly awkward, suspended between her two loyalties. She knew it was only a matter of time before Alex's reasons for coming south were broached in more detail. Sure enough, by the time their main course had been cleared away, after Alex and Owen had both unashamedly had seconds of everything, Lord Wyldon's attention had turned to Alex.

'Tomorrow we'll be back at Steadfast, what plans have you then, Master Alex?'

Alex took a sip of his spiced apple juice, set the goblet down and replied, 'I need to speak to the King.'

'You do?' Wyldon's eyebrows were raised.

'The time approaches when we can stop this war.'

'Is that not what we've been doing these last few years?' asked Raoul, 'Trying to stop this war.'

'And since those blasted machines have disappeared, Maggur's hardly dared attack at all.' Alanna pointed out.

'You have been fighting this war yes, and have slowed Maggur's advances; something I never cease to be grateful for.' Said Alex, his bright hazel eyes meeting the gazes that were directed onto him. 'But no, you have not been stopping this war. As we speak an army of ten thousand warriors from the North is being outfitted at Hastanne. Most of them are not warriors by trade it is true. But they are men used to hard work and Maggur has the winter to train them. Even your Tortallan companies will struggle when surrounded by the numbers Maggur has at his disposal. It will be slaughter.'

'We've seen it before.' Kel spoke quietly. 'Them dying, our friends dying and to what purpose? So that, that' -Kel struggled to find words to describe Maggur-. 'Power-crazed monster can lead both countries to ruin. It is him that needs to be stopped, not his armies.'

'And you think that you have come up with a way to stop the war, just like that?' asked Alanna incredulously.

'I have a chance, an opportunity,' he sighed. 'Which is more than most.'

'And the hope of thousands upon you,' said Kel quietly.

'There is a chance here lass.' George lay a comforting hand on his wife's arm, but spoke to the room as a whole. 'This isn't something we're going to enter into lightly, but it has long seemed to be one of our only options. The Crown has been funding this man for eight or nine years as he's laid down the foundations for this plan, aided an abetted by a certain squire.'

'I still don't understand,' said Lord Wyldon. 'Who are you?'

'The rightful king of Scanra.'

'What?' spluttered Alanna.

'The last true heir to the Rathhausak clan,' said Kel seriously. 'Maggur stole a title that was never his.'

'And if we can get him on the throne by Scanran law and heritage they will accept Alex as their leader,' said George. 'Killing Maggur under any other circumstance would just lead to his replacement by another of his followers.'

'This is insane' breathed Alanna. 'You just plan to walk up to Maggur, kill him, and expect the rest of the country to fall into line?'

'No, and this is why I come to seek help. We know it's crazy, we know it's a gamble, but ten years of work has led up to this. Thousands have died for this chance.' Alex drew a shuddering breath. 'I must speak to your King.'

'Do you plan to travel to Corus?' enquired Lord Wyldon.

'I had hoped, given the urgency of the matter that a mage-link could be opened.' Alex admitted, interlacing long, calloused fingers.

George gave his wife an enquiring look.

'I'll not open one on my own, but I believe Master Harailt is at Mastiff. Together it will be a lot less effort.'

Kel secretly marvelled at the fact that the Lady Knight had enough power to open a mage-link all the way from the border to Corus.

'Thank you,' said Alex, relief evident across his tired face.

* * *

They rode into Mastiff under the warmth of late afternoon sun. Men waved and saluted their party from the battlements. Some of their faces were familiar, but none of them were Dom or his squad; they had returned to Steadfast several days previously.

Alex did his best to remain unnoticed as the group was welcomed by the fort's temporary commander and other officials. He fiddled around with the horses, his entire body language not suggesting that he was worth enquiring after.

Once Wyldon had departed, deep in conversation with Captain Noel who'd been running the fort, the group began to disperse.

'Where are they?' Alex muttered, approaching Kel from behind.

Kel glanced at Raoul for his approval. Her knight-master nodded and signalled for a stable boy to collect Drum and Prince.

Kel led the way to the barracks that housed the refugees. Washing was draped over sagging lines, swinging lazily in the breeze. Men were wrestling in the dirt outside the barracks, a small circle of onlookers egging the fighters on. More men sat playing dice or whittling, interspersed with groups of women sewing and darning in the sunshine. Kel and her companions ducked inside the barracks, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the gloom.

'Kel!' Hal was the first to spot her and he charged over for a hug. The rest of the Scanran refugees glanced up, and as they saw Kel's companion a hush fell. Eron was the first to rise and make his way towards Alex, his newly-healed eyes searching.

For a long moment Kel thought that Eron was about to drop to his knees, but slowly, meaningfully, he raised his closed fist to his heart and saluted Alex. One by one the other Scanrans followed suit. Kel wasn't sure what Eron had told them, but hope and admiration gleamed in every face.

Raoul looked taken aback by the intensity of the gesture. Alex looked completely overwhelmed. He stepped forward and embraced Eron like a brother, muttering in Scanran. When they broke apart, Meah who had stepped forward, curtseyed delicately. Alex picked the small girl up, seating her over one hip and surveyed his people. Then he went amongst them, shaking hands and greeting, crying with those who wept for a Rathhausak long destroyed and comforting the people who'd lost everything.

Kel backed slowly out, tears pricking her eyes. Raoul followed her. It was moments like that when Kel felt like an intruder. For all she had fought, for all she sympathised and understood their cause, she was still Tortallan, had not known the country as it had been before Maggur.

'I don't understand,' Raoul admitted slowly. 'I mean I know he's the rightful heir and has fought against Maggur but...' The Knight trailed off, his eyes troubled.

'I think we find it hard to understand,' Kel replied quietly, 'because we've never been in a situation like it. Our country has never come crashing down around us...' Kel paused as she cast around for the best way to explain herself. 'Imagine if the entire structure of Tortall had fractured. The prosperous fiefs are no more, the nobles with no power or money. We're waging war against a powerful country, say Carthak. Men are being conscripted up and down the country. Families now have no one to protect them, no income. Much fewer people are farming, food becomes scarce, being funnelled directly to the army. No one is safe, no one can speak out for fear of being made an example of. People scrabble to stay alive, to escape the attentions of Maggur. Is it any wonder that when presented with a real, living way to restore their country to it's former glory that they act the way they do.' She rubbed an eye tiredly.

'We came across a village once. Completely slaughtered, all because Alex's contact had refused to reveal information to Maggur's men. We fight risking our own lives for the crown and kingdom, but could you watch thirty of your friends and family being murdered just to safeguard Tortall's secrets?' She shook her head, a pained expression on her face. 'We find it frightening...Alex must be terrified.'

'Well I hope we can assist,' said Raoul heavily. 'This war needs to stop.'

* * *

In the mess hall that night the refugees were unusually rowdy. Kel sat with Raoul and other men of the Own, as was her place. Glancing over at Alex, surrounded by his blonde haired compatriots she felt oddly left out, but knew that it must be this way. She was sworn to King Jonathan first and foremost, must be content to know Alex from a distance rather than his right-hand swordswoman.

Once the meal was over, clapping and cheering caught Kel's attention. As the group quietened, a lone voice began to sing, soaring up to the rafters of the wooden hall. A fiddle, played by one of the other Scanran refugees joined in. It was a merry tune whose tempo quickly sped up as a second voice supported the first.

Kel watched, a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. Fondness for the Scanrans welling in her heart.

'What are they singing about?' Asked Sergeant Osbern.

'A fiddle and a moon,' Kel shrugged, it was one of those nonsense songs that didn't seem to make sense.

Even though the Tortallan refugees clearly had no idea what they were singing about, they joined in by stamping their feet and clapping appreciatively. Hal and Meah got up and danced with the carefree spirit of children.

Most of the soldiers on Kel's bench turned around so they could watch the spectacle without straining their necks. It wasn't long before men were pushing benches aside and full scale dancing broke out.

Hal ran over and pulled Kel into the fray. She picked the tune out of her memory and joined in with the chorus. Twirling and galloping was difficult due to the height difference between Hal and herself. Indeed when it was time for the men to lift the ladies, Kel scooped the young boy up and hefted him into the air until he shrieked happily.

As the music fell away there was more clapping and the dancing pairs broke up. Someone began a slow, lazy beat with their hands on the bench they were sitting on. The fiddle player picked gently at chords, his skilled fingers dancing across the strings. It was Eron's voice this time. A lilting, slightly melancholy tune the lyrics spoke of the old Scanra and soon tears were running unashamedly down many cheeks, including Alex's.

Kel, who'd sat back down next to Raoul, found herself transported to memories of a midwinter spent at Sekholm, or the harvest and spring festival's she'd so enjoyed. The next couple of songs Kel recognised vaguely. Then it was Alex's turn and not for the first time that day the onlookers quietened unnaturally.

He began his performance with a song from one of the most famous plays in Scanra. It was a good choice; all the Scanran refugees new the harmonies of the chorus; it sounded impressive. Isra and Hal danced the steps gracefully for anyone who'd care to watch.

Alex caught her eye and she knew then why he'd picked this song. It was the same song they'd often performed as a duet. As the chorus came to an end, Kel forced her own voice to take over, ignoring the surprise of the soldiers that surrounded her. She closed her eyes and let her voice float above Alex's, trying not to think of the last time that she had sung in public. It had been as a bloody, battle-weary thirteen year old who'd believed she'd die on the plains of Somalkt.

After what seemed like no time at all, the closing lines of the song left her lips and a silence hung in the air for a brief moment before the applause.

'What was that one about?' Lerant demanded.

'It's taken from a play,' she said turning to the man on her left. 'A powerfully gifted lady who promises to protect her home clan whilst her childhood friend is off adventuring.'

There were faces of baffled amusement all around her. Kel sipped her water goblet.

'We'll need to be going soon,' Raoul said meaningfully.

Kel stood up, 'Lord Wyldon's office?' she checked the location of the mage-link. Raoul nodded in confirmation.

She was halfway across the room before she caught Alex's eye. The Scanran rose gracefully and walked serenely through the new song that had started, over to where Kel was waiting.

On the pretence of giving her a friendly one armed hug, his lips barely moving Alex told her.

'Show them how much you know of Scanra.' Alex straightened and the pair followed Raoul out of the mess hall.

* * *

As Kel watched purple and silvery fire entwined, both Mages stood with their eyes closed and palms outstretched. Sapphire blue sparks began to flare in the blazing window of fire and the onlookers gasped as King Jonathan the fourth's face appeared amongst the flames.

'Alanna?' the King's expression was surprised. 'Is everything alright?'

'Are you alone?' The Lioness demanded, ignoring the King's question.

'At the top of Balor's Needle,' Jonathan answered. 'I've been feeling you prodding me with magic for the last half an hour.'

'Pfft, well you could have responded a bit sooner. I was about to do something drastic. Your magical defences aren't very strong,' the Lady Knight scolded.

'I was entertaining the Tusaine ambassador,' the King replied with a sigh to mirror his exhausted face. 'I've had to leave him with Thayet which means in the morning I'm going to have not only an affronted ambassador but also an angry wife. This had better be important Alanna.'

'It's just a social call,' retorted Alanna innocently, 'I was wondering how Alan was-'

'Lass,' George interrupted the Lioness's fun.

'George is that you?' the King asked in surprise, 'I thought you were...oh never mind.'

'Anyone else there that I should know about?'

'Hello Jon', Raoul spoke up.

'Raoul! This is a right little gathering.' The King banged his hand on the table. 'I wish I could be up with you, not dining with poncy little men who want to take advantage of our situation.'

'We are at war, your Majesty,' said Lord Wyldon, politely reproachful. 'It's not all fun and games on the border.'

'Ah ha,' Alanna interrupted and as the firey window shivered Jon began to look around, evidently now able to see the whole room.

He looked slightly embarrassed to discover that his outburst had had an audience, but dignified none the less he bowed his head to Lord Wyldon.

'I know Wyldon. It's just sometimes her majesty and myself feel we are contributing little to the war effort.'

'You're keeping the country ticking over and the other scavengers off our backs,' Raoul said gently.

'Yes I know I'm not completely useless,' sighed Jonathan. 'And who else is that with you? Ah, Squire Keladry and...'

'Squire Owen of Jesslaw,' introduced Wyldon, noticing that Owen seemed uncharacteristically tongue-tied in the presence of royalty.

'Alexei of Rathhausak your Majesty,' Alex introduced himself, nodding his head not one iota more than was necessary. 'It is I who have requested this urgent conversation with you.'

Although his stance was casual and voice unwavering, Kel could spot the tiny signs of strain displayed all over Alex's body. One wrong word, if the King didn't agree to help him then all of the fighting, all of the preparing would have been for nothing.

Kel listened as Alex told his story to the King of Tortall. She saw the pain, able to comprehend some of what Alex had been through these last ten years.

Eventually the conversation came down to the crux of the matter.

'What would you require of me?' the Tortallan leader asked.

'Men,' said Alex. 'Eight squads of fighters to overcome Maggur's personal guard. And a diversion. A diversion that will occupy the full extent of Maggur's army and concentration.'

'A diversion I can understand,' frowned Lord Wyldon. 'But you believe eighty warriors will be enough to conquer Hamrkeng?'

Alex ran a hand through his blonde hair. 'Every able-bodied warrior in Scanra has been either killed or enlisted into Maggur's army. The people I lead are women, children, grandparents, the crippled. They are cooks, farmers, tanners and traders, not warriors. What hope would they ever have against a company and a half of the realm's finest sword and axemen?

But the last few years we've been preparing. He spoke to the room at large now. A cook might not be able to chop down an axe-wielding war veteran, but she can be placed inside the keep, poised to drug the guards on the gate. A nine-year old boy mightn't have the muscle to heft a longsword but he could sit atop a cart with two warriors and give credibility to their "family."

An elderly couple running an inn can provide a safe-house for a squad of soldiers once they're inside the city... Don't you see? We can smuggle around eighty men into the city. We've got hidey-holes ready and waiting. When the time comes to act we've a means to let them inside the keep. I just need eighty men to bear arms. But not any warriors mind. I don't want the biggest, brawniest. I need fighters who are clever. Who can learn quickly, keep their head under pressure.' A fire was alight in those hazel eyes. 'I just need to get to that council room. To challenge Maggur to a duel under the ancient laws. A duel he won't refuse. A duel he won't win.'

The King, though exhausted was looking more alert now and addressed the room. 'We all know that this war is costly both to purses and livelihoods. Perhaps here we have a chance to act for the good of both countries. _However_, as King my concern must be and always will be for Tortall and it's people. I will not send eighty men on a suicide mission nor will I jeopardise the lives of my warriors in the armies if I am not satisfied with the plans in place. I want to know everything, the exact details of your people, the locations of these resources and safehouses, when you plan to act, as much as you know of the Scanran forces. Only then will we consider the logistics of granting your request.'

'Your Majesty understands that if this information fell into the wrong hands the kind of slaughter that would result.'

'It is my price,' replied the King firmly. 'You ask me to risk my men, I require this information in trust and as an insurance that we won't be crossed. George will verify the truth of your words.'

'Then you will have the information you desire,' Alex replied, his face serious. 'I will need maps, and paper.'

The meeting stretched on into the night, Alex, his voice growing hoarser by the minute outlining in meticulous detail the plans to get eighty warriors into Hamrkeng. His monologue was frequently interrupted as the strategic and tactical minds of the warriors and spymaster picked over the plans with a fine-tooth comb. Frequently Alex called on Kel, asking her to sketch a plan of Hamrkeng, it's outer gates, main streets and walled keep.

Kel remembered Alex's abrupt request and forced herself to interject using her knowledge of not only the places they discussed but also Maggur's likely battle plans.

At first Jon had been surprised to discover that it was to Scanra Kel had disappeared to. 'You were spying for George the whole time?'

'Spying,' Kel had replied, 'Fighting to delay this war, fighting to survive. Fighting to save the people, your Majesty.'

On and on the discussion went, Kel marvelling at Alex's thorough knowledge of his network of allies. Names were mentioned that Kel knew; Marthea, Fassin and Tor amongst others.

Even Owen, who was fighting to stifle yawning made no mention of retiring for the night. There was a sense of importance, of perhaps having reached a turning point in the war.

As they set about discussing where they would recruit the eighty warriors from, warm relief seeped into Kel's bones. Alex had done it. Next spring they would have their shot at Maggur. After all the years of working there was finally an end in sight for Alex's campaign.

It was agreed that the eighty men would be hand-selected. Drawn from the Own, regular army and riders so that no force would be weakened. They debated over whether to conscript the warriors to the mission or offer them the chance to volunteer. It was agreed that they would be given the opportunity to turn down the mission and also that one eighth of the force would be women.

Alanna had queried about whether mages would be required, but Alex, pointing to the names of his network of mages said that magically, they were prepared.

No horses would be used; they were too conspicuous. The fighters would be smuggled through Scanra on foot or in slave wagons or merchants caravans. The whole operation would take place over several weeks such that if one cell of fighters was discovered not all eighty men would be lost.

It was sobering, discussing ways to minimise losses, realising that it was incredibly likely that some of the men selected for this mission would not return. In fact, the whole force would not rendezvous until the night of the attack itself.

'Where will you be whilst all this is going on?' Lord Wyldon wanted to know.

'I'll be around, overseeing in Hamrkeng, coordinating the mages and other factions that must come into play. Once we've breached the keep a third of the force will split to secure behind us, whilst I will lead the rest on, to Maggur.'

'How soon will you be returning to Scanra?' Raoul asked.

'As soon as possible,' Alex replied, 'I have places to travel before the snows arrive.'

Kel's heart sank; their reunion was to be a short one.

'Then to whom are we entrusting the training of our fighters?' asked Master Harailt wearily. 'I was under the impression you would be giving them an education in Scanran subterfuge.'

'I can send my second in command, Torrien, down here, although it may take several weeks for him to get here. I was rather hoping, however that Kel here would oversee their training.'

It took Kel's brain a few seconds to process what had just been said and she didn't bother to hide the shock from her face.

'But Alex, I'm still a squire,' she reminded the Scanran, suddenly realising why he'd wanted her to try and display all she knew about Scanra.

'You won't be a squire after midwinter,' he pointed out quietly.

Her knight-master's expression was unreadable and Kel suddenly felt panicked that Raoul might think that she'd had this planned all along. Trapped in the middle of threads holding the two countries together, torn between the two lives she'd led, between a man who was like a father and the other like a brother to her. And as she sat, surrounded by some of the most influential people in Tortall she realised how Alex had had this planned all along.

'You want Keladry to lead your invading force?' Jonathan questioned. 'Forgive me for saying so Keladry, but wouldn't you be better off with a more experienced leader?'

'Kel's the best swordfighter I've ever trained.' Alex replied levelly. 'She has had to learn the Scanran language in just a few months and has been intimately acquainted with the slave trade. She's lived amongst the highest and lowest of Scanran society and knows how to behave accordingly. She knows the landscape of my country, the layout of Hamrkeng. At the age of thirteen she was training and commanding a company of soldiers who she rallied into battle under the worst circumstances imaginable. More recently she lead your own soldiers against Stenmun and Blayce. I have absolute belief that if anyone is qualified for this job, it's Kel.'

Her face was hot and Kel stared determinedly at the wood grain of the table in front of her, wishing that she hadn't been present whilst Alex was singing her praises.

'Is that true Kel?' Asked Raoul quietly. 'You commanded a whole company at the age of thirteen?'

Kel nodded, still not looking up at anyone.

'A thirteen year old shouldn't have that burden,' Wyldon tutted. 'No matter how prodigious their talent at fencing.'

'We did what we could with who we had available,' Alex snapped. 'Maybe if you had recognised her potential then she wouldn't have been there in the first place.'

Lord Wyldon looked affronted and opened his mouth to argue back.

'This isn't helping.' Kel intervened swiftly, looking up at last. 'Alex didn't force me to do anything, I volunteered-'

'You would,' muttered Raoul.

'-He never asked too much of me.'

'Of course I did, little one,' Alex interrupted and Kel glanced around at him, shocked. He was now opposing her defence of his actions.

'Every time I picked you up whether you had narrowly escaped burning or had been shot, or were two inches from death through starvation or delirious with fever, _of course_ I asked too much of you. The point is, you handled it, you battled on more determined than ever. You know what is at stake for both Tortall and Scanra and here is your chance to act.'

There was silence following this speech until Kel said.

'I serve the King, if he wills it then I will gladly train you an army. If not...' she let the end of the sentence hang.

'How will we explain her absence?' the King mused.

'We could say that she's been posted to the Tusaine border,' replied George. 'Little correspondence travels from there to the north without travelling via Corus.'

'And where will this new force be trained?'

There was a few minutes pause.

'Stonewell?' suggest George again. 'It's been vacant since the fourth and eighth companies moved up North. Relatively isolated, we could hand out a couple of army uniforms to fool the neighbours into thinking it was just new recruits.'

The others nodded in agreement, it was a good plan.

'Very well,' the King now spoke directly to Kel. 'Spend the next few months thinking long and hard about the training programme. Raoul, you can help her in this. After Midwinter you shall travel to Stonewell where your fighters will be waiting.'

Kel bowed as low as she could in her chair, hardly able to believe her ears.

'Alexei of Rathhausak, may the gods will it so, I will be in contact next summer with treaties of peace and trade between our two countries.' King Jonathan nodded to the Scanran.

'I long for the day in which our countries will be as sisters,' Alex replied seriously. 'For the day when this bloodshed will end.'

More goodbyes were handed around and the mage-link ended. It had been a long meeting. Harailt sat grey and exhausted in his chair whilst Alanna swayed alarmingly as she stood. George helped his small wife from the room.

Lord Wyldon hauled the nearly dead-on-his feet Owen and lead him out of the room. Master Harailt staggered out not a minute later.

Kel looked over at her Scanran friend, who had slumped in his chair. Face in his hands he was mumbling incomprehensible thanks to the gods for his fortune. Kel got up and placed a gentle, steadying hand on his shoulder.

Alex clutched the hand as though it were a life-line. Looking deep into Kel's eyes, he said.

'I'm sorry.'

'Pardon?' Kel was surprised.

'They're all right. I should never have got you caught up in all of this, and now I'm dragging you back into the thick of things. I'm sorry.'

'Hey,' said Kel sharply. 'No more of that talk. I made a promise Alexei of Rathhausak that I would see things right in Scanra. No matter what the cost.'

'I know,' he replied red-rimmed eyes unreadable. 'And you stand by that?'

'Always,' said Kel intensely.

'Then,' Alex pulled out his dagger and swiftly cut across the base of Kel's palm. Kel gasped in pain as Raoul got to his feet with a cry. Alex mirrored the cut on his own hand and pressed their bleeding palms together. Interlocking fingers that were now slippery with blood.

'Do you, Keladry of Mindelan, agree to be my blood-bonded sister?'

'To death and beyond,' Kel whispered.

'Then we are bound by blessed Yahzed, Great Mithros and the Goddess to be brother and sister always.'

As they separated their fists Kel saw that shiny white scars existed where moments ago had been a gaping would. Kel's jaw dropped.

'The gods have accepted our pledge.' Said Alex, tired but pleased. 'Kel, sister, if anything should happen to me at this, the end of our campaign. You will-'

'I will fight to my dying breath to bring up Tobeis in your stead.'

They embraced, emotions to thick for words. Kel knew he would be gone in the morning, his task accomplished. Tears leaked from two sets of hazel eyes.

'I will be in touch,' Alex promised. 'We'll be ready for you in Hamrkeng next April.' With one last squeeze and an affectionate ruffle of Kel's hair, Alex left.

'Did he just make you-' Raoul struggled to find his voice.

'Second in line to the throne of Scanra?' Kel supplied. 'Yes, Goddess help me.' She sank back into her chair, palm throbbing.

* * *

Well there you have it! A nice long chapter to get Fallen up and running again.

Please review, it'd be nice to know you haven't given up on me! (Though it's been so long I wouldn't blame you if you had!)

Confusedknight xxx


	77. Ordeal

This chapter is dedicated two ways. Firstly to my beautiful cat Bella who had to be put to sleep on Monday. She was my companion through many a late night writing Fallen and will be sorely missed.

Secondly, to Flt Lt Jon Egging, a Red Arrow crew member whose plane tragically crashed last Saturday. For those of you who don't know, the Red Arrows are a british RAF display team who perform AMAZING acrobatics and stunts at air shows. They are some of the finest pilots in the world. I've watched them perform every year for as long as I can remember, most recently two weeks ago. Last weekend, with his wife watching, this 33 year old's plane failed (reason as yet unknown) it was heading towards a housing estate and he made a split second decision, foregoing the chance to eject himself from the plane in favour of turning it away from the houses. By the time he'd done this he was too low to survive ejecting from the plane. It's a sad reminder that although we're not living in a fantasy world, heroes still exist.

On a lighter note, TEN THOUSAND reviews. I love you guys so much! Nowadays I don't even want to add up how many hours I spend writing, but whatever the number, hearing your encouragement makes it all worthwhile :D

Enjoy -this is a long 'un!

**Confusedknight** xx

PS. Disclaimer: There are a couple of paragraphs in here copied direct from the books. You'll recognise they're not mine but I felt it was right to use them to stay in canon.

* * *

Kel slept unusually late, exhausted from the previous day's ride and the meeting that had stretched into the earlier hours of the morning. When consciousness returned she lay wrapped in the warmth of her blankets, mulling over the decisions that had been reached during the meeting.

She, Kel, was not only to lead a Tortallan force into Scanra in the spring, but should Alex fail she was charged with acting as a regent until Tobe could take the throne. Her brain ran in circles trying to figure out just what position this left her in. Eventually her practical side forced herself out of bed, thinking that she'd just have to work things out as she went along.

Raoul was pouring over papers on the desk when Kel entered the guest office her knight-master had been assigned.

'Morning Kel,' Raoul said without bothering to look up.

'Good morning,' Kel replied, pouring herself a large glass of water.

'We're leaving for Steadfast at noon.' Kel's heart rose at the thought of seeing Dom and Neal again, and trying to settle back into a semblance of a routine. 'But first I need to submit to George my suggestions for warriors to be in your taskforce.'

'Have you chosen anyone yet, Sir?' Kel asked, perching on a chair with her legs tucked beneath her.

'A couple,' Raoul looked up at Kel, bags ornamented his dark eyes. He'd obviously slept poorly. 'I'm to find ten men. So I've got three here from First Company, four from the Second and I'm just trying to finalise those from Third. Have you any suggestions?'

Kel got the impression that this was a slight test of her ability to weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of the men she had grown to know over the past four years.

'The men are all good fighters,' she murmured, 'but I need soldiers that are smart. A Bazhir would be far too noticeable, as would large men such as yourself.' Kel paused, 'Gregory of Qasim's squad. He's impressed me before, and he knows how to keep his mouth shut.' She shrugged, 'Any of Dom's squad except the two new recruits and Derom. Eoin, Gilave, Baxter,' she listed names that sprang to mind.

'I'm in an awkward position Kel,' Raoul admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I want to send you the best I've got.' He waited until he caught Kel's eyes. 'I want this to succeed and by Mithros I don't want you to get hurt. But I've got to protect the border and I need the strength of the Own to remain undiminished.'

'I understand,' said Kel quietly. 'And I'm sorry for ever putting you in this position.'

'I'm not annoyed at you,' Raoul was as serious as Kel had ever seen him, 'but worried, yes, that so much hangs on chance.'

'The gods will see Maggur fall,' said Kel, a lot more confidently than she felt. In truth the gods had never showed any interest in Alex's campaign, but the thought was comforting.

There was a pause in which Raoul scratched out a few sentences on the paper in front of him, the pencil looking frail in his ham-sized fist.

'There,' he gathered up the sheaf of papers.

'Sir,' ventured Kel cautiously, 'Have you told anyone about...?'

'No,' Raoul knew exactly to what Kel referred. 'Are you going to?'

Kel shrugged helplessly. 'It complicates matters somewhat.'

Raoul let out a bark of laughter. 'That's an understatement.' He shook his head, 'If there's one thing you and Alanna have got in common, youngster, it's the ability to find trouble.'

Kel twisted her hands in her lap. 'I'd give my sword and my life for his campaign, Sir,' she began shakily, 'But he's given me responsibility for the _country_ should he fall. To secure and run the most unstable land whilst training a stable boy to take over the job.' She laughed almost hysterically. 'This is more ridiculous than the most far-fetched of tales.'

Raoul looked on anxiously. 'What are you going to do?'

'I'm not going to let him bloody die, that's what,' said Kel roughly. 'I'll drag him back from the Black God himself if I have to.'

'So mote it be,' murmured Raoul.

* * *

Later that day Kel and Raoul set out from Mastiff at a brisk trot. What had started out as a pleasant day was growing greyer by the moment. Kel wore a light jacket that kept out the autumnal breeze and leather gloves that made it difficult to do up the buckles on her saddle bags.

It felt nice to ride, just the two of them for a change. Kel wondered absent-mindedly what it would be like to be a squire to an ordinary knight rather than to the Knight Commander of the Own. She thought of the blue-uniformed men she normally rode and fought alongside. A lot quieter and a lot less fun, was the answer to her question. She felt slightly sorrowful that her time with the Own was coming to an end. Maybe, once the whole problem with Scanra was sorted Raoul would let Kel ride along as a knight.

_If I'm not running Scanra at that point,_ Kel thought darkly.

Halfway through the afternoon it began to rain, soft drizzle filtering through the trees that formed the canopy above them. The ground quickly absorbed the water and even the well trod path that they journeyed along turned to thick mud before their eyes. The Prince and Drum slowed, fighting their way through the quagmire.

'Maybe we should have taken the road,' Raoul admitted, blinking back the rivulets of water that trickled from the top of his head.

They had decided to cut straight across country, a much directer route that should've had the two riders at Steadfast by nightfall. Unfortunately the rainclouds covered the sun earlier than expected, leaving Squire and Knight traversing the blustery forest in near total darkness.

As Kel's eyes strained to make out her surroundings, her heart began to race as several times she wrongly identified oddly shaped rocks or bushes as bandits or Scanrans.

In places the ground had turned so swamp-like that it became hard to tell where the path actually lay. If they weren't careful they'd end up wandering the wood all night.

Finally the trees thinned and they could see flickering torches perched atop Steadfast's fortified outer wall. The two riders broke into a trot that jarred Kel's frozen bones.

'This isn't quite the triumphant return I'd been imagining,' said Raoul ruefully, shaking his head like a dog, his usually curly hair plastered flat by the rain.

Kel agreed through chattering teeth.

'Who goes there?'

'Your commander and his half-frozen squire,' Raoul called up.

'Evening Milord,' the watch-sergeant replied.

Three minutes later the fort's great gates swung open to admit them.

'Should I fetch Sir Douglass?' the sergeant wanted to know.

'No, don't go waking people up,' replied Raoul. 'We can talk in the morning.'

The weary pair led their horses to the stables. Summoning up the last dregs of energy Kel rubbed Prince down and washed the worst of the mud from his elegant legs. She could hear Raoul in the neighbouring stable murmuring softly to Drum.

They collected their packs and trudged to the officer's quarters. Kel had slept in the Rider barracks previously but since more groups had arrived in the North, Raoul had converted a supply cupboard near his office into a room for her. Upon entering the common room they came across Neal, nose buried in a book and sprawled in a chair. Where he'd found the book from Kel didn't know, but she smiled as her friend looked up.

Neal surveyed Raoul and Kel for a few moments before leaping into action. He swiftly relieved them of their sodden packs.

'Boots off,' he ordered, eyeing their mud-coated footwear.

Knight and squire obliged and followed Neal up the corridor, leaving a trail of water behind them. The healer motioned with his hands and in a rare display of power green flames sprang up in the grate, hungrily consuming the logs that lay there. Neal dumped their bags by the hearth and busied himself closing the shutters.

'Dry clothes, now.' Neal bossed in his healer voice. 'I will be back in two minutes.'

Sure enough, by the time Kel had exchanged her sopping outfit for a dry Goldenlake-green shirt and soft hose, Neal had returned. The shirt reached almost to her knees and must surely have been Raoul's at some point.

Neal draped warm woollen blankets around Kel and Raoul's shoulders and pressed mugs of hot tea on them. The brew smelled disgusting but Kel was too tired to argue and gulped it down, scalding her tongue in the process.

'What in the name of Mithros is in that?' spluttered Raoul.

'Something that will stop you two from coming down with the sniffles,' Neal arched his brows.

Raoul drained his glass and shuddered. 'You and Alanna need to work on improving the taste of that.'

'You and Kel need to learn not to ride unprepared into a deluge,' Neal retorted, not dulling his sharp tongue even for his commanding officer. 'Bed.'

Kel bade the two men good night with a tired smile and all but collapsed into bed in her new room. She buried herself in a cocoon of blankets, wriggling around until her nest was warm and comfortable.

* * *

Kel's reunion with Dom the next day was a constrained affair, limited to a handshake and smiling eyes. She itched to throw herself into the strong arms of the Sergeant and just for once let someone else deal with the problems of the world.

Kel greeted the rest of her friends in the Own and joined in wholeheartedly with the drills that Raoul put his company through. Following the press-ups and other conditioning exercises, came sprint races and quick, fierce duels with wooden practice swords. Still buoyant from her fight with Alex, Kel won every encounter convincingly. When it came to hand-to-hand fighting however, she was less successful; a young Bazhir managed to knock her off balance and land several blows that Kel knew would leave bruises.

Her life at Steadfast fell into a blissful routine of waking, running, training, taking turns on the watch, eating with the men in the mess and jousting with Raoul. Kel even managed to persuade Neal to fence with her several mornings a week and discovered that four years of training with the Lioness had done his swordplay a world of good. It was testament to how quiet the infirmary was that Neal voluntarily let his younger friend best him again and again on the practice courts.

In the evenings Kel would attend meetings or join Raoul in socialising with some of the other knights and warriors doomed to spend the winter at Steadfast. Later still she would work on her training programme and draw up supply lists that included everything from blonde hair dye to boots designed to muffle the sound of footsteps.

She had not seen or heard a word from Alex or Tor, although a cryptic dispatch from Lord Wyldon spoke of a friend who'd passed through the fort some three weeks after Kel and Raoul had left.

The golden leaves slowly curled and fluttered to the muddy ground, leaving only the dark ever-green firs colouring the landscape. Rides outside the fort became fewer as the weather turned nastier. Rain lashed the fort, often for days at a time, and the general mood amongst the men was glum; it would be another long winter with little to distract themselves from the discomfort of army life.

Welcome news came in the form of a letter to Thayet's dogs, the sixth rider group from. Ros had given birth to a healthy girl in early September and since her return to the capital had been staying in Lalasa's spare room. Although forced to leave the Riders for the duration of her pregnancy, Thayet had put her to work organising the new programme of self-defence classes for women in Corus. She wrote cheerfully that although she missed the rest of her group, she was getting along well in her new job and Stephen was sending her a decent sum from each pay packet to support baby Lynda.

As Midwinter, and the time when she would face the Chamber of Ordeal drew closer, Kel found herself observing the knights of Steadfast with interest. They ranged from young fighters such as Quinden of Marti's hill right up to men greying at the edges, men whose bones had learned to ache with the cold weather.

Despite Conal and his gang of friends whom Kel had learned to avoid, Kel was slowly sensing that perceptions of women fighters were changing. Perhaps the presence of female Riders in the forts had helped, and maybe even Kel herself, beating opposition on the practice courts left right and centre.

Dom's brother Greg was a decent sort, although Kel noted that the two were not particularly close. Whereas her friends in the Own kept themselves mostly to themselves, Kel found herself spending a lot of time with Neal, who joined her on her forays into the mess hall shared by knights and officers.

It was after a late night discussions in which Kel had watched Neal debate hotly with Sir Jeral of Nenan about the imports and exports to Carthak that Raoul sought his squire out.

'I think we've left it late enough' he peered out at the ground, slowly hardening with frost. 'If we ride to Fraslund and catch a ship back to Port Caynn we could be back in Corus within ten days or so.

Kel felt an unexpected thrill of excitement and apprehension. 'I'll get packing.'

* * *

Twenty four hours later Kel surveyed her empty bedroom with it's rough wooden furniture. Although she was slightly ashamed to admit it, quite a large part of her was looking forward to returning to the luxuries of the palace. In particular the women's baths where she could soak out the engrained grim of the last few months.

There was a knock on the door and Neal entered moments later, not bothering to wait for permission.

'All set then?'

'Yes, we leave before sunrise tomorrow.'

'I'll say my goodbyes now then,' Neal shuddered, he wasn't a morning person. 'Could I ask you a favour?' He drew out a large, bulky envelope from within his jacket. 'Can you see that these reach Lady Yukimi?'

'Yuki?' asked Kel surprised, as she accepted the bundle of paper. 'I hope this isn't all poetry about her eyebrow or something,' Kel said suspiciously.

'No, no poetry. Well,' Neal amended, 'Maybe a little.'

To Kel's utter surprise Neal was blushing. She'd seen Neal's crushes before. Even as a first year page he'd enjoyed mooning at length over Daine, but there was something different about Neal's sheepish expression.

'You like her,' Kel breathed in amazement, 'You really like her.'

'We grew close on Progress,' Neal explained, seating himself on Kel's bed. 'We've been corresponding ever since and then last Midwinter we began to court. She's the one Kel,' his green eyes were serious, 'I know she is.'

'You never said anything,' Kel accused, almost slightly hurt that two of her close friends had been caught up in a romance that she knew nothing about.

Neal shrugged, 'We haven't really told anyone. When this war starts to wind to a close I'll tell father, then we can start making arrangements.'

Kel was stunned, Neal had obviously been planning betrothal to Yuki for a while.

'I can't believe you never mentioned-' muttered Kel, plonking herself down on the other end of the bed, like they used to sit as pages.

'Hark at you,' retorted Neal. 'You and Dom haven't exactly been forthcoming about relationships.' Kel saw his point and grinned crookedly. 'Maybe there are some things you don't discuss, even with your best friend,' she admitted.

'My point exactly,' drawled Neal. 'I do _not_ want to hear the sordid details of what you and my cousin-'

'Neal!' Kel interrupted her friend, throwing her pillow at him.

Neal raised his arms to protect his face. When he lowered them his green eyes were crinkled in mirth.

'Blushing are we Keladry?'

'I'd be quiet if I were you,' Kel replied airily. 'Or I might just let slip to a certain sergeant about our Yamani friend.'

Neal stuck his tongue out and the pair sat in comfortable silence for several minutes.

'So how are you feeling about your Ordeal?'

Kel looked up in surprise, knights were forbidden to talk about the Ordeal. She shrugged. 'Part of me is terrified,' she admitted, 'but it seems like such a small hurdle compared to...' She trailed off, remembering that Neal wasn't aware of her challenge in the spring. Impulsively, and before she lost the nerve Kel said, 'Neal, after Midwinter I may disappear for a while. I've been given a task, a job to do. I can't really say much more...' she paused, not wanting to look into Neal's concerned eyes.

'You're going back into Scanra.'

Kel inwardly cursed Neal's shrewd intelligence.

'I'm coming,' he immediately volunteered.

'No you can't,' replied Kel. 'This isn't like last time,' she supplied. 'This is official, well, sort of official. But the point is I'm not haring off alone. And you're needed here. There'll be much fighting come Spring.'

'Kel-'

'No Neal,' this time her voice was firm. 'This is something I have to do without you.'

Neal didn't argue but looked disgruntled. Again they sat in silence until a noise on the floor below startled them out of their thoughts.

'Well it's getting late,' Neal got to his feet, followed shortly after by Kel. Kel looked up at her taller friend.

'I wish I could be there when you're knighted,' he said regretfully. 'You're going to make an awful lot of people proud when you lift that shield Kel.'

'Nonsense.'

'No I mean it,' said Neal, deadly serious. 'You do justice to my Lord, Lady Alanna, all of your friends and all those girls who look up to you, who are thinking of trying for their shield, even the Stump.'

Kel's emotions were too great to say anything, so she hugged her best friend, trying to convey her thanks to the man who had taken her under his wing when they were mere first year pages.

There was a quiet knock on the door and Kel released her best friend. Without words to say, she opened the door to find Dom leaning casually on the frame.

'I'll leave you to it,' Neal ruffled Kel's hair with a smirk and left.

Dom hovered in the corridor until Kel gestured him inside. Dom took up the spot on the bed that Neal had occupied moments before, he looked unsure.

'I shouldn't be here,' he explained, in answer to Kel's quizzical look. 'But you're leaving in the morning...'

'Yes,' said Kel evenly, sliding her hand into Dom's larger one.

'I wish I could be there when you come out of that chamber,' he whispered. Kel squeezed his hand tightly. 'I'd be cheering louder than them all.'

'We're just going to have to be apart for a little longer,' Kel spoke softly.

'I know,' he sighed. 'I'm so proud of you, sometimes I just want to let everyone know. My girl, a Lady knight.' He kissed the top of her head softly. Kel let herself be drawn to his chest, softly inhaling Dom's masculine smell.

'It won't always be like this,' Kel muttered into his tunic.

'No,' agreed Dom. 'One day it'll just be you and me, no more wars or politics. Maybe just a few little ones.'

Kel shifted her head so that she could look into Dom's deep blue eyes, and smiled with the sudden realisation. 'Several little ones,' she affirmed.

'If I was allowed to marry, I'd ask you right now,' said Dom huskily. 'I love you Keladry of Mindelan.'

'And I love you too,' Kel replied, pressing a kiss onto the familiar lips. 'And for now that will do.'

* * *

'Kel,' Raoul pushed the door cautiously open. The light from the candle he held illuminated two sleeping forms, fully clothed with the smaller curled up against the larger.

'Morning milord,' Dom slurred.

'Er, good morning Sergeant.'

Kel began to stir, slowly wriggling out from under Dom's arm. Her clothes rumpled and her hair tousled, Kel pulled on boots and warm outer clothes whilst Raoul gathered up her packs.

'Let's go,' the huge knight whispered.

Kel gave Dom a departing kiss, brushing his cheek tenderly whilst Raoul pointedly looked the other way, and then she was gone.

As Raoul secured her packs to the waiting Prince and Hoshi, Kel wrapped a scarf around her neck. A mixture of Goldenlake-green and Mindelan-blue, it had been a good-luck present from the rider groups she had bunked with, knitted, Kel suspected by Dana.

Springing lightly into Hoshi's saddle Kel took up the reigns and Prince's lead rope in gloved hands. Without delay both she and Raoul were out on the road again.

Once the sun had risen they stopped for a bite to eat before journeying on. They stopped again for lunch and in the late afternoon for a toilet break. Knight-master and squire ate dinner beneath a starry sky that seemed to stretch forever above them. Despite the lack of rain, or indeed snow, it was still bitterly cold and their breath rose in clouds as they shared stories relating to the twinkling orbs above them. Raoul finished with a tale about a mysterious cat called Faithful who'd followed Alanna around for several years. Something in the description of the feline niggled at Kel's brain, but it wasn't until she was climbing into her bedroll that she remembered; it had been a dream of a purple-eyed cat who'd awoken her at Rathhausak castle after killing Blayce. Unsettled at the thought of divine attention, Kel tried to push the coincidence from her mind and fell asleep thinking about the pair of blue eyes that she loved so much.

It took them another four days of hard riding to reach Fraslund. Most nights they managed to find Inns or lodging houses which was a relief as fat flakes of snow had begun to fall as they travelled ever westwards. On the penultimate night of their journey they'd taken a slight detour into Mindelan where they received a royal welcome from Kel's brother Anders and his family.

At Fraslund itself they came across Alanna, who jubilantly told Kel that she couldn't wait to have a second Lady Knight in Tortall, expressing how Kel had exceeded any hopes she'd had about her successor. It was an emotional evening and by the time Kel boarded the boat with Raoul she was quite relieved that all the goodbyes were over and done with. Now she simply had to survive the Ordeal itself.

Lord Wyldon and a well-bundled-up Owen were waiting for them on deck, having reached Fraslund a couple of days earlier than Kel and Raoul. The horses were stowed away and soon the quartet were nursing hot mugs of tea in a cabin that was rolling slightly this way and that.

'It's going to be a rough sail,' predicted Lord Wyldon, eyeing the sleet that lashed down outside with distaste.

The knight was right, once they'd left the shelter of the harbour the wintery weather pitched the boat up and down as though it were made of driftwood, throwing it's occupants roughly from side to side.

Kel spent a fair amount of time soothing Prince who she knew hated sailing. Unlike Owen, who spent most of the journey trying to sleep away his sea-sickness, Kel wasn't bothered by the constant motion. When it became too much below deck, she enjoyed several hours up on deck, the freezing spray helping to clear her thoughts.

Lord Wyldon was interested to see Kel's plans for her soldiers. He raised his eyebrows when he learnt that Kel's men would train with nothing more than swords, knives and their fists. He was also surprised by the meagre amount of supplies Kel had requested; each man would travel with just a small knapsack of food and a waterproofed canvas sheet.

It would be hard going granted, but this was not waging war as the two lords normally would, with their armoured soldiers, horses, camps and supplies. This was a group of fighters travelling on foot, sleeping rough. Kel knew it could be done. Once the first safe house was reached then the men could be smuggled inside Hamrkeng, disguised. Their weapons and chain mail would be delivered by a different route, smuggled inside deliveries.

With only a few suggestions to make to Kel's strategies, the conversation turned to the diversion the Tortallan armies had been charged to make. Here, Kel bowed to Raoul and Wyldon's genius. They agreed that multiple invasions would be best to stretch the Scanran force thin, although this had to be achieved without compromising the strength of the Tortallan forces.

The diversion would have to be meticulously timed, giving Alex and Kel just enough time without risking too much open warfare on Scanran soil. Knowledge of the invasion would have to be fed to Maggur in advance so that he could mobilise his forces away from the Capital, but without revealing accurate detail so that the Tortallans didn't walk into a trap. The complexities made Kel's brain ache.

Within no time at all their ship had left the clutches of the stormy ocean to sail inland along the Olorun to Corus. They disembarked, thanked the grizzled sailors who'd guided them safely south and began the short ride up to the Royal Palace.

The splendour of the monarch's home seemed all the more evident after years of living in sparse wooden forts. Even through the drizzle the immaculately kept gardens and elegant architecture made for a splendid sight.

Kel and Raoul spilt from Owen and Wyldon and they led their four horses to the nearly deserted stables of the Own.

* * *

With only ten days left before Midwinter, Kel seemed to be in high demand. She visited a radiant Lucie, who was overjoyed to have her father, Kel and Owen around for Midwinter. Then there was Lalasa, who insisted upon taking Kel's measurements and making her new Mindelan-coloured tunics and shirts. Kel also had tea with Ros and baby Lynda. Several nights, when Raoul was dining with the King and Queen, Kel supped with her parents, who filled her in on the happenings of the much-depleted court. She had meetings with Baron Cooper and the king, she attended morning glaive practise.

Yuki had been delighted by Neal's extensive letter-writing, although she hid her smile behind her fan. In private she confessed to Kel how hard the waits between Neal's letters were.

Somewhere in between all the socialising Kel found time to go Midwinter shopping and complete a daily swordplay session with Raoul. Their fights always due a lot of attention, particularly from the pages who were meant to be completing their own drills. Kel could spot her nephew Lachran amongst the rabble and also a fiery red-head who could only have been Alanna's son.

On the night before the festival was due to begin Queen Thayet drew the squires names out of a clay bowl, announcing that Kel would enter the chamber of Ordeal on the second night of winter and Owen on the third.

Kel tried to ignore the fear that rose up whenever she thought of the magical chamber. She felt it silly that after all she'd been through the idea of spending a night in a room was causing her such panic. Plenty of other knights had survived hadn't they? But, Kel reasoned with herself, this wasn't an enemy she could best by swordplay. This was ancient, powerful magic who dealt it's own brand of justice. What if it didn't approve of her missing the page training years? What would Alex do if she never emerged from the chamber alive or with a sane mind?

Prosper of Tameran was the first to enter the Chamber. After a sleepless night, Kel was amongst the many who watched him emerge shaken, but unhurt the following morning. As he was supported away from the chapel he offered a weary "good luck" to Kel.

Kel fought the butterflies that plagued her stomach all day. She tried to take her mind off of the looming Ordeal by training for several hours in one of the disused courts, but by lunchtime had to admit that she'd probably be better off saving her strength. She had a light lunch with her parents more out of ritual than anything else; her appetite had fled entirely.

Several of her friends, including Owen popped by to wish her the best of luck. As much as Kel knew they meant well, she really just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Raoul seemed to understand; after all hadn't he once endured the squire's fear of the Chamber.

Kel took herself out into the snowy grounds, fed Prince an apple and let the large geldings solid presence and musky smell comfort her for a while. She then ran up to the wall that surrounded the palace so that she could look out across the sprawling city. She imagined the thousands of midwinter scenes that would be taking place; down in the streets snow ball fights, hot steaming dinners with entire families crammed into one room, laughter and the exchanging of gifts... It seemed a far cry from her lonely vigil on the wall.

Kel let the freezing wind buffet her clothes, until her face was completely numb with cold. She tried to make her peace with the world. It was hard, when she felt that she still had so much to do with her life, to accept the possibility of departing from the realms of the living.

Looking out across the snowy land, Kel clung to the thought that she was doings this for the ordinary people of Tortall, that she would serve them until her dying breath, like countless knights before her. She would set Alex on the throne and in doing so allow fathers and brothers to return from the Northern border. Next Midwinter they too would celebrate with their families.

As the sun sunk lower, Kel trotted back to the palace, the icy air burning her lungs. Keeping a tight reign on her emotions she gathered the clothes she was to wear for the Ordeal; a set of loose-fitting, undyed cotton breeches and shirt. Carefully Kel removed Courage from her waist, feeling vulnerable without it.

Raoul, his face paler than usual, led her to the bath attached to the chapel. Kel slipped inside and scrubbed every inch of herself clean in the lukewarm water. Aware that Raoul and her other instructor were waiting just on the other side of the door, Kel dressed quickly, towelling her hair dry as best she could.

With a deep breath, Kel opened the door to admit Raoul and, to her surprise Lord Wyldon. Raoul hadn't mentioned who her second instructor would be; Kel had trusted him to choose someone sensible. Kel was both pleased and honoured that Lord Wyldon had agreed to help instruct her. It went a little way to show the changing attitudes of Tortall, that the man who had once kicked her our of the palace was now willing to honour her in this fashion.

The two men stood shoulder-to-shoulder, straight-backed and impressive in their knightly garb. Kel couldn't think of two examples who greater exemplified everything knights were renowned for being; honourable, just, men who would do their duty no matter the personal cost.

Kel felt small and shabby in comparison and her fear of the Ordeal was eclipsed by the old longing to do her duty for the Realm, to become even half the knight that these men were.

'Keladry of Mindelan, are you prepared to be instructed?' It was Raoul who spoke first, the age-old words as he himself must've once heard them.

'I am.' Kel was proud of how steady she'd managed to keep her voice.

'If you survive the Ordeal of Knighthood, you will be a Knight of the Realm. You will be sworn to protect those weaker than you, to obey your overlord, to live in a way that honours your kingdom and your gods.' Lord Wyldon's voice was grave, his eyes boring into Kel.

'To wear the shield of a knight is an important thing. You may not ignore a cry for help. It means that rich and poor, young and old, male and female may look to you for rescue, and you cannot deny them.' Back and forth went the instruction.

'You are bound to uphold the law. You may not look away from wrongdoing. You may not help anyone to break the law of the land, and you must prevent the breaking of the law at all times, in all cases. You are bound to your honour and your word. Act in such a way that when you face the Dark God you need not be ashamed.'

'You have learned the laws of Chivalry. Keep them in your heart. Use them as your guides when things are their darkest. They will not fail you if you interpret them with humanity and kindness. A knight is gentle. A knight's first duty is to understand.' Raoul finished. 'You must make no sound between now and the time you leave the Chamber of Ordeal.'

As Kel stepped forward to enter the Chapel, Raoul pulled her close for a hug, kissing her forehead.

'Gods all bless, Kel.'

To Kel's surprise, Raoul's actions were mirrored by Lord Wyldon. Realising with a jolt that she'd never really thanked either of the two men for all they'd done, Kel prayed earnestly that she would have another chance to. She gave a small smile and met each man's eyes, trying to convey some of what should've been said.

Raoul nodded, and Kel turned and entered the chapel of Ordeal. There was a bench facing the Chamber and Kel sat, her bare feet flat against the cold flagstone floor, hands folded in her lap. The flame from the room's single lamp danced and fluttered in the icy breeze. Kel shivered, steam was rising from her damp skin and hair; her cotton clothing was doing little against the winter's chill.

As numbness set in, Kel let her mind wander away from the physical discomfort. She thought of all the knights who'd sat her before her. Hundreds of them, thousands dating right back to the beginning of the Human Era. It was a comforting thought that once Raoul, Wyldon, Neal, Lady Alanna and even the King had once sat before the Chamber to reflect on the code of chivalry. She was just the next in a long line of tradition. Kel thought back to the days when Lady Knight's were commonplace. Maybe a timeless thing such as the Chamber wouldn't think much of her only being the second lady knight in living memory.

Kel thought back to the words of Raoul and Wyldon. She knew the code of chivalry as it had been indoctrinated into her for years, but she'd never heard the formal words of instruction before. Kel was pleased that one of the last things squires were reminded of was that a true knight was gentle, someone who aimed to understand people rather than look down on those who were not outwardly important.

"You cannot ignore a cry for help" these instructions were not specific to the Tortallan people. Alex and his Scanrans were crying out for help, so surely as a knight it was the proper thing to try and help them?

Kel had the vague sense that the Chamber would know what she had planned. If it chose to let her live then surely that was as good an answer as any?

As the minutes flitted past, Kel's thoughts turned to Tortall and all that she had seen. She thought of the splendour of Corus, the quiet fief of Mindelan, the rolling valleys, the autumnal woods, beautiful snowy scenes...But was that really the realm? Or was it pages training earnestly in the courts outside the palace, the camaraderie amongst the soldiers she'd fought with, the bravery of villagers who'd lost everything?

Faces flew before her closed eyelids, images, scenery. She thought of the happy memories; working in the Weir's mill, chatting with Lucie, visiting Lalasa's shop, riding through the countryside with Raoul. How attitudes were beginning to change towards women fighters. Of Ros's defence classes that now ran five nights a week, of the schools that saw street children educated and the Bazhir mingling and accepted by the pale skinned northerners. Kel felt a fierce burn of pride that she'd rarely felt before. This was _her_ realm, one that she would fight to protect, to keep it moving in the right direction. Full of people she'd willingly die for.

A hand touched her shoulder, jerking Kel out of her reverie. The Chamber's door had swung open. Before she even had time to think, Kel's stiff legs were carrying her inside the grey box and the door was shutting behind her.

As it clanged shut, Kel tried to limber herself up, to force some blood into her frozen limbs so that she was as prepared as could be for whatever came next. Moments dragged past and Kel's heart was thumping so loudly she was surprised the whole chamber didn't reverberate with it. She forced her breathing to still. Fear wasn't going to get the better of her.

Slowly, as though emerging from a thick mist, things began to materialise around Kel. A grassy slope, leading uphill to a great stone building. It took a few moments for Kel to place the scene in her memory.

'Come on Kel,' a young, carefree voice called and Kel suddenly saw a young Lucie waving at her from the top of the slope. With a blue-eyed grin she disappeared inside the temple of the Goddess.

The sudden appearance of a her friend in her Ordeal had thrown Kel slightly. Before she had any time to get her head around it however, there was a scream from inside the temple. A scream that had long been stored in Kel's memory. Instinctively she began to run to Lucie, as she did so realising exactly what would happen if she entered the temple.

A second terrified scream pierced the air and Kel didn't hesitate, flinging open the wooden door and running to the aid of her friend. She grabbed the broadsword from above the altar as she'd done over and over in her nightmares. Despite years of training Kel found it just as heavy and un-manoeuvrable as her eleven-year-old self had done. Kel squared off against the Tauros.

The temple door was still open, she could run and save herself from having to relive her nightmare but Kel knew they'd never both make it out. A sickening feeling rising inside her, Kel swung at the beast. It bled, just as it had done eight years ago, glutinous drops spattering the stone floor. However just as had occurred eight years ago the swords massive weight made her slow and predictable. Soon the iron weapon was clattering away, wrenched from her hands.

Horns gorged her chest and Kel's bright red blood spattered the floor as she fell backwards, slamming her head with a sickening thud. Kel closed her eyes, _I mustn't scream, I mustn't scream_ she chanted inside her throbbing head. Terror was threatening to overwhelm her. The beast was pawing at her clothes and Kel realised with horror that she didn't have a dagger hidden in her hair. There was nothing to kill the beast with. She was going to die here. A small tendril of calm fought it's way through the wall of terror, at least it would be over in a couple of minutes, never to be relived in nightmares or daydreams.

Suddenly the presence above Kel vanished and, disbelievingly Kel opened her eyes cautiously. The temple, tauros and Lucie were nowhere to be seen. She sat up. Her shirt was bloody and ripped, but the skin beneath was pale white; just an old scar. Kel got to her feet, fighting the urge to vomit. _This is just part of the Ordeal,_ she remembered. It had all seemed so real, Kel looked at the stone chamber in awe of it's power. Sweat trickled down her back although it was cold in the room. Kel's breathing was ragged.

There were noises coming from a corner, a corner that was no longer a corner but a forest. Horns were blowing and suddenly Kel found herself in the midst of a band of Tortallan soldiers. Faces that she knew jumped out at her; Dom, Quasim, Raoul, Owen, Wyldon, Commander Buri, men of the Own.

'Take charge,' Raoul was ordering her. Kel grabbed a nearby sword in confusion as red-tunic clad soldiers rushed towards them, Alex at their lead.

Kel almost asked "_what"_? but bit her tongue, hard, at the last moment to stop herself. Scanran forces were ploughing into the Tortallan lines. Alex removed his bloody sword from Owen's stomach.

_No, no, no_ Kel thought, horrified. Her friends were dying all around her. Her brain was frozen with panic; she had no idea where they were, how many Scanrans there were and above all she wasn't allowed to talk. She saw Dom fall, arrows sprouting from his throat and Kel felt like her own heart had been physically ripped out. She couldn't breathe, Dom couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be.

'Fight,' Lord Wyldon roared, shoving Kel into the melee where she came face to face with Alex. She engaged with her blood-brother without thinking, her borrowed sword clashing against his. 'Join us,' he panted, 'Join us or die.'

Tears were streaming from Kel's eyes making it difficult to see. In her mind's eye the vision of Dom falling was being replayed over and over.

'Kill him,' Buri was screaming, 'the longer you prolong this the more people die.'

Out of the corner of her eye, Merric was hacked almost in two. This was slaughter. She wanted to disarm Alex, to knock some sense into him, but the Scanran was too good for her to catch her sword in the right position.

The Scanrans were closing in on Raoul and Wyldon and to Kel's horror Neal was charging into the fight, leading Fanche, Eron and the other refugees. Kel knew what she had to do. An opening came in Alex's defence, an opening that Kel pounced on, driving her sword through Alex's throat. His stunned face, sliding backwards off her sword was imprinted on her eyes, she felt faint with the barbarity of it. Slowly the battle fell away, leaving Kel pounding her fists on the stone floor, silently howling her agony.

Kel felt the landscape change again and almost couldn't bear to open her swollen teary eyes. She wanted this to be over, wanted to simply dissolve with the pain of it all. Dredging up her last, sorry ounce of courage, Kel looked around.

She was lying in a courtyard, a smell of smoke drifting into her nostrils. Bang! There was an almighty explosion and Kel threw arms across her face to protect herself from the searing heat that hit, sucking all the air out of her lungs. Kel scrambled up; lying on the floor was not the best place to be.

Further explosions rocked the world around her. The sky was dark, black projectiles whooshing overhead. The corner of the courtyard to her left took a direct hit and crumbled into rubble. The palace of Tortall was burning. Kel set off at a run, explosions at her heels kept knocking her to the floor. She didn't know which way to turn, it was as though all of Chaos's realm had been unleashed. Great beams that had held up the palace for centuries cracked and were devoured by blazebalm.

Kel turned right and ran along a corridor that she knew led to a servants entrance. If she could just get outside, away from the collapsing, burning buildings, outside to the palace gardens. Her lungs were burning in her chest. She couldn't breathe, but had to keep running, rubble blocked her way back.

Something cracked above her with an almighty boom and chunks of rubble fell, hitting her shoulders, her back, knocking her to the floor as the corridor caved in around her. It seemed to go on forever, the noise and the dust making it hard to draw breath. Kel's legs were pinned beneath a whole mound of rubble. It was completely dark, the small space closing in around her as once again Kel accepted death.

She lay there for minutes, maybe tens of minutes, waiting for the rock that would crush the life from her battered body, but it didn't come. She wiggled, terrified that any movement would cause the beams and rock to destroy her small pocket of air. She managed to get one leg out, although in doing so a large splinter of wood had gouged her leg from knee to ankle. Her second leg came free more easily and she lay panting, curled on her side. She could see a slither of light, but had no way of knowing which debris to attempt to move to get out.

Kel couldn't call for help; curse this Ordeal! She could simply wait to be rescued, but Kel wasn't sure if the Chamber had any concept of time, and it somehow didn't seem like the right option. So, slowly Kel began to dig, clawing at the rubble until her fingers bled. Several small slippages occurred before Kel was able to crawl from what had so nearly been her tomb. Bleeding, dusty and exhausted Kel pulled herself upwards and climbed from a gaping hole in the palace wall out into the early light of a new day.

Down on the lawns Kel could make out shapes. Wearily she scrambled down to see what was to be done. Kel was almost treading on the body before she saw it. Dread filling her heart, Kel rolled the large corpse over. Raoul of Goldenlake lay, lifeless like a crushed insect in the dirt, his eyes open but unseeing.

Kel's knees buckled and she stared uncomprehendingly at the broken body of her knight-master. Without warning figures were closing in around her. Red figures, Maggur's men. There was nothing she could do, nothing she could fight with although the sorrowful rage that filled her would happily have ripped each man limb from limb.

She was dragged to a one of the large palace gardens, passing a carpet of bloody Tortallan corpses. An iron collar closed around her throat and Kel was shoved forward to join a train of slaves. There were hundreds, possibly thousands bound in chains and although the word dissolved the collar at her neck didn't.

She was working a plantation again, weak and starving. Up ahead Kel saw her Mama and Papa, rake-thin and struggling with the hard labour. As she watched a foreman beat the life out of her beloved Mama. Kel had no more tears left. When the foreman whipped her back for stopping work she almost welcomed the physical pain, it distracted her from the agony of her grief.

A new scene arrived, Neal, unkempt and with deadened eyes, using his gift to construct killing devices. Hal and Meah were strangled in front of him and Kel saw Neal, directed by Scanran mages, fastening their white souls to the metal monsters.

'You could've stopped this.' Kel turned slowly to find Lady Alanna, grey and withered, her violet eyes accusing. 'If you hadn't failed none of this would've happened.'

Again the landscape changed, replaced by the streets of Corus, putrefying bodies littering the cobbles outside the dress shop Kel had helped to set up. She couldn't bear to watch Ros and Lalasa being manhandled by Maggur's men; the screams were bad enough.

Kel closed her eyes, sick to the very core. _I thought you would be grand, grand and terrible._ She told the Chamber. _I thought you would teach us, show us the way to be better knights. But this! This isn't real, this is just nightmares, my nightmares. Well,_ Kel drew upon a strength inside that she never knew existed. _I've got many fears_, she thought savagely, through tears that blinded her. _And you can make me live through them all but I'm never giving up on this. Never._

Her surroundings vanished. She was back kneeling in the cold grey box, sweaty, shaking and weeping silently.

'I see things that were, that are and that may come to pass,' a cold voice whispered on the very inside of Kel's skull. 'Do not let this happen.'

And with those words chilling Kel's very soul, the door to the Chamber of Ordeal opened and she could see people in the chapel beyond. With an almighty effort Kel lurched to her feet and stumbled out of her Ordeal.

* * *

So yes, slightly longer than a week, but not by much! And you're lucky, I was so tempted to leave this chapter at the beginning of her Ordeal, but felt another cliff-hanger would've been too mean.

You know the drill - reviews make me HAPPY!

Much love xxx


	78. Lady Knight

Hey all!

Not much to say today! Just more thanks for your lovely reviews, I wish I could answer/thank you all in person, but then I really would be the slowest updater ever. I've been chugging away slowly at this for a couple of weeks now, but just finished it whilst watching "Outnumbered" my favourite tv programme at the moment. Any other Outnumbered fans out there?

Hope you've all had a good start to September,

**Confusedknight xxx**

* * *

Kel didn't notice that the chapel was far fuller than it had been when Prosper had emerged. She didn't even notice the mingled looks of jubilation and concern on her friends faces. She simply moved slowly forwards, letting Raoul catch her before she stumbled and fell. People parted to let knight and squire through. Despite looking pale and tired, Raoul's grip on her was steady and strong, supporting her back to the living room that they shared. Kel sat gingerly down on a sofa.

'Do you need a healer?' he asked, his sloe black eyes concerned and yet understanding.

Kel shook her head, her throat felt too clammed up to speak. Raoul watched her for a moment longer and then set about making a pot of tea. He poured Kel a cup and set it in front of her on a low table.

Kel tried to pick the drink up, but her hands shook so badly that she slopped hot liquid everywhere. Without warning a surge of emotion overcame the dumb shock. Violent, racking sobs tore through her body, as Kel's misery burst forth.

'Oh gods,' she croaked, memories rearing their ugly heads in her mind. She wanted to be sick, but there was nothing left in her stomach. 'It...they...all,' Kel babbled incoherently.

Raoul seated himself next to Kel and let her sob onto his shoulder. Kel clung to her knight-master like he was the only rock in the storm of memories that assaulted her.

'Sorry,' Kel spluttered before dissolving back into a fresh wave of tears. Her throat was raw, her nose running horribly.

'You let it all out,' said Raoul tolerably, giving Kel's shoulders a supportive squeeze.

When Kel's sobbing had subsided, he poured a fresh cup of tea.

'Drink it, it'll help.'

Kel obeyed and let the hot liquid trickle down her throat. It did indeed have a calming sensation. Kel tried to wipe her nose on her dirty, bloody sleeve.

'You'll feel better once you're cleaned up and rested,' Raoul acknowledged. He rang the small bell that he rarely used and several minutes later a maid appeared.

'Could you draw up a bath for my squire?' He requested.

The woman acquiesced and Kel could hear her bustling around in the next room, heating water and rummaging for towels.

'All done, my Lord,' she reappeared five minutes later. 'And may I say congratulations Squire Kel, we, that is to say Salma and I always knew you'd do it.'

Kel managed a weak smile.

The bath was nice physically, the hot water soothing all her aches and pains. Kel sunk below the water, trying to block out memories, focussing on the heat and sloshing water. She dressed in clean, plain clothes; brown breeches and a white shirt, leaving her filthy ordeal clothes in a pile by the bathtub.

'I know there are people that want to see you,' Raoul spoke when Kel returned. 'If it's alright with you then I've told them to come back this afternoon; you need some sleep, trust me.'

A few tears escaped Kel's eyes, and she nodded in agreement.

'Are you sure you don't need a healer?' Raoul eyed her suspiciously.

'I feel like I've been trampled and stabbed all over, but there's not a scratch on me,' Kel said tiredly, bewildered by magic she didn't understand.

Kel climbed into bed and curled up on her side. Careful to make sure her thoughts didn't stray to memories of her Ordeal, Kel sought refuge in the lake of Yamani calm that she rarely accessed anymore. Emotionally and physically drained, she drifted into sleep.

* * *

Kel awoke disorientated some hours later. She could hear low voices in the next room and after a few moments it all came crashing back to her. Kel balled her hands into fists and fought the tide of emotion. _Be like stone, be like stone. _

'Can I come back later?' It was Owen's quavering voice.

'If she's awake,' replied Raoul.

Kel hauled her sore body upright. She hadn't forgotten that Owen's Ordeal was that evening, he was likely to be terrified by now and the sight of Kel as she emerged from the chamber couldn't have helped.

'I am awake,' Kel said as she pushed the connecting door open. The three men looked startled to see her entering the room. 'How long have I been asleep?'

'Two and a half hours, roughly,' Raoul replied.

'Hullo Kel,' said Owen, his usually bright eyes were wide and searching. 'How're you feeling?'

'Much better for a sleep,' Kel lied, a placid smile in place. The image of Alex pulling his sword from Owen's abdomen rose unbidden in her mind. Kel's throat constricted. She was _not_ going to break down in front of Owen and Lord Wyldon.

She walked gingerly over and gave her younger friend a hug. 'You're going to be fine,' she reassured him in a whisper. Owen clung to her tightly for several seconds before releasing her.

'Thank you,' he muttered, embarrassed. 'I'm really glad you're okay, Kel.'

Kel smiled, not trusting her voice.

'Right Owen, let's leave Kel to rest.' Lord Wyldon steered his squire from the room.

Kel slumped down onto the sofa again. A lone tear escaped, trickling down her cheek and splashing onto Kel's thigh. She had to get a grip on herself; she couldn't cry whilst being knighted. Cautiously Kel tried to sort through her memories of the Ordeal.

The Tauros attack, whilst unpleasant, was just a memory. She had no reason to fear it; the Chamber had surely been testing her resolve as to whether she'd sacrifice herself again for her friend. The fear of being forced to fight against Alex was again ungrounded. Alex would surely rather die than fight for Maggur, he wouldn't betray her. Kel was sure of it.

It had been the last part of her Ordeal that had been the most disturbing. Kel remembered vividly the Chamber's warning. Had it been saying that if Alex were to fail, the war would come to an end in that horrific way? With the raising of Corus to the ground, it's populace enslaved, fighters dead or captured?

Kel wished she could've asked Raoul if it was normal for the Chamber to give warnings or predictions, but they were forbidden to talk of their Ordeals. It suddenly dawned on Kel for the first time that the rule about keeping their Ordeals private, even from other knights, might be in part due to the fact that the Chamber made them live through their worst fears. This was quite a personal revelation Kel thought, maybe most knights didn't want to discuss it anyway.

Raoul placed a tray of food in front of her.

'Eat something if you can,' he encouraged.

Kel looked disinterestedly at the food; the sights and smells of her Ordeal would've been enough to put anyone off of their food.

'I-' Kel's voice cracked and she could feel sobs rising once more. She fought them back, tears welling in her eyes.

She blew her nose on a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'I don't mean to sit here crying the whole afternoon.'

'Kel,' said Raoul, deadly serious. 'You sit here and cry all you want, no one's judging you. 'We've all been there, I _understand.'_

'Did you spend all day in tears?' Kel wanted to know.

'No,' replied Raoul carefully, gazing fixedly at the spot on the wall. 'I bottled it all up inside, the misery, the pain...until three days after my Ordeal I went down into the lower city and drunk until I couldn't see straight. Until I couldn't remember any more.' His voice was low, disgusted at himself. 'If it hadn't been for George picking me up off the street, quite literally, well...'

Kel was intrigued; she'd heard that Raoul had once had a slight problem with drink, but it wasn't ever something she'd had the courage to ask him about.

'George, as in Baron Cooper?' Kel asked.

'Yes, although he was of less repute back then,' said Raoul. 'He ran the thieves of the Lower City.'

'The Baron was a thief?' Kel squeaked.

'King of the Thieves,' Raoul remembered almost fondly.

'How on earth did you fall in with the Rogue?'

'Well, he'd always had a bit of a thing for Alanna, or Alan as she was known back then. We became friends through her. It was useful. He knew all sorts of interesting goings on, did George, never missed a trick. And if he liked you, he looked out for you. As I say, his men picked me up when I...stopped me from getting my head bashed in when I couldn't defend myself.'

He looked directly at Kel, 'So you just stay here for as long as you want, cry all you like and you'll have handled it a damn sight better than I did.'

Not for the first time, Kel felt immeasurably grateful to Raoul. How did he always manage to say something kind, something to make her feel better?

'Thanks,' she said softly. 'Thanks for everything, taking me on-' she trailed away. How could she possibly put her gratitude into words.

Raoul replied, 'It has been an honour.'

'No I mean it,' Kel replied. 'I-'

'And so do I,' said the Knight firmly. 'Tonight Tortall is going to gain a very fine Lady Knight, and to even have played some small part in that is honour enough. If the gods had ever blessed me with a daughter, I would've liked her to be something like you.' Raoul finished his little speech, his cheeks tinged pink.

They sat in silence, the emotion a little too much for either of them to manage conversation.

Kel's parents arrived shortly afterwards, embracing their youngest daughter. If Kel's eyes leaked a few tears they pretended not to notice, just as Kel pretended she couldn't see them being brutally beaten to death in her mind's eye.

The Baron and his wife came bearing fine clothes for Kel to wear that evening; a soft blue tunic finely embroidered with Mindelan owls in pale silver thread, a fine white silk shirt and dark, navy loose-fitting breeches. Every stitch was Lalasa's and Kel was sure that the outfit would fit her perfectly. Ilane had also selected out a pair of expensive boots made of supple leather and lined with sheepskin. With the ear bobs that had been a Midwinter present from Lucie, and the new belt and scabbard that Raoul had gifted to her, Kel would never have looked finer when she went to collect her shield.

Piers and Ilane left after half an hour, leaving an invitation for both Kel and Raoul to sup with them that evening in Corus city. Raoul, much to Ilane's pleasure had insisted he'd be delighted to join them, although he might be slightly late due to his task of instructing Owen.

'Please extend the invitation to Lord Wyldon,' Piers had requested Raoul, 'his daughter has already agreed to join us.'

They left, leaving Kel to her swirling thoughts. She attempted to have another nap, but found it impossible to get to sleep. She kept remembering all too vividly the terror of being trapped under falling rubble, the horror of seeing her friends die, of a Tortall overrun by Maggur's pestilence.

Giving up on the idea of a restful afternoon, Kel joined Raoul who was doing paperwork. He didn't object as he might usually have done; that Kel was giving up her holiday to help him. Raoul seemed to understand that she wanted to keep busy.

When they finished the last of the sums, Raoul asked, 'How on earth am I going to manage my paperwork without you? Maybe I should ask Jon if I can employ you as a full time clerk.'

Kel made a face that made Raoul laugh.

'Have you given any thought to a full time position, once this wretched war has died down?'

'Not really,' she replied. 'I'd love to ride with the Own, visit the Bazhir again, work more closely with the Riders or maybe even help expand the self-defence schools being set up in Corus.' She shrugged, 'To be honest, I'm finding it hard to see beyond this war at the moment.'

After a moment's pause, she asked, 'Should I have told the King about, you know, Alex and me? I am about to swear fealty to him.'

'Your guess is as good as mine, Kel' sighed Raoul. 'Although being bonded has implications about inheritance, you haven't actually sworn allegiance to Alex as a sovereign. It leaves you in a dubious position I admit, but I don't see that you've got any choice. If you're not a sworn knight then Jon won't let you lead the Scanran expedition and if that doesn't go ahead then...'

_We're all buggered,_ thought Kel, her mind flashing to her Ordeal for the umpteenth time. Hadn't the Chamber warned her not to let Maggur take over? If it didn't care about her Scanran relations, then hopefully that would be enough for now.

* * *

Butterflies fluttered madly in Kel's stomach as she waited for the herald to introduce her. Out-fitted as a knight of the realm, Kel had planted her feet solidly in an effort to stop her knees from shaking. The hard part was over, the actual knighting process was very straightforward so Kel wasn't sure why she was so nervous.

Whilst dressing, an hour previously, Kel had decided that she should make every attempt possible to enjoy the night. Yes, there was still Scanra and it's whole writhing mess of problems, yes she would have to get up in the morning and begin to seriously go about her seemingly impossible mission, but, this was the moment that she had dreamed of ever since she'd heard the tales of lady warriors whilst being tucked into bed as a child. This was the moment that her distraught eleven-year old self had left the palace convinced would never happen. She had fought hard for this, had earned it. The first public knighting of a lady knight for over a century. And whilst this was her moment, she also wanted to lift up that shield for all the young noble girls out there, those harbouring dreams of knighthood. She wanted it to be for Alanna, who'd waited so long for someone to follow in her footsteps. For Raoul, Neal, even Wyldon, for everyone who'd helped her, who'd had faith that she could achieve this, the highest of goals.

'Keladry of Mindelan.' The herald announced, and with a deep breath, Kel entered the packed room that lay behind the oak door. Steadily, deliberately, not showing how her muscles ached or tremored, Kel made her way towards the King.

The monarchs were both resplendent, he in deep blue velvet and she in an ivory gown embroidered with roses.

Kel dropped to her knees in a gesture of submission that she had been so unwilling to give four and a half years ago. She took the oath and swore to defend Tortall and the Crown with her life. The flat of the King's sword struck each of her shoulders, hard. He then gently tapped her head and spoke formally;

'You are dubbed Lady Knight, Keladry of Mindelan.' His voice was solemn, 'Remember your vows and service to this Crown. Remember your promise of chivalry.'

Pushing away the slight sliver of guilt, that she had in someway betrayed Alex, or betrayed Jonathan already, Kel stood to a tumult of applause.

As the King sheathed his sword, his wife stepped forward. She was joined by Princess Shinkokami and Ilane, who both managed to look graceful even though they shared the weight of a bulky object. Removing the cloth cover, they revealed to Kel and the expectant crowd a shield of Mindelan knight. It was pale blue that matched Kel's tunic immaculately with a grey owl and cream edgings. However this shield differed to that of Kel's three older brothers in that it was bordered by blue and cream rings; a distaff border of the Lady Knights of old.

Kel stepped forward, dazed and disbelieving. Not even the Lioness had claimed a distaff border.

'Wear it in health and victory,' Queen Thayet told her as the women slotted the gleaming shield onto Kel's arm.

'Turn and show the people,' Kel's mother instructed her, tears flowing down her cheeks.

'Mama,' Kel protested, grasping her mothers hand with her free arm, alarmed at her mother's public loss of control.

'I am _so _proud,' sobbed Lady Ilane. As Shinko took over comforting Lady Ilane, Kel turned slowly on the spot to show the waiting audience. There was more cheering and clapping. Kel tolerated this for a moment, before moving down into the crowd.

She was hugged by her father, who, like Ilane, had tears on his cheeks. And then was enveloped in a rib-breaking hug by Raoul, who looked equally proud minus the tears. As they broke apart he pounded her back.

'Congratulations Lady Knight, Lady knight!'

Kel grinned. Despite the court being comparatively small there were still plenty of people to greet and accept praise from. Lucie had been in floods of happy tears, accompanied by her smiling father. Owen, although pale, offered Kel hearty congratulations and then left; it wasn't long until his ceremonial bath. Then there was the Yamani delegation to speak to and, to Kel's surprise, their royal Majesties.

Thayet spoke warmly, and conveyed how pleased both Buri and Alanna would be. The King confirmed this, his direct blue eyes meeting Kel's with a charming smile.

'Indeed I spoke to Alanna just this morning, and she was thrilled.'

'Thank you, your Majesties.' Replied Kel with a bow.

'Kel,' Raoul appeared at exactly the right moment to fill the awkward lapse in conversation. 'I need to go and help Wyldon instruct Owen. Shall I meet you down at your parent's townhouse?'

'Yes, milord,' Kel answered.

'Please call me Raoul now,' the huge knight grinned a boyish smile. 'I'll see you later. Your majesties.' He acknowledged his two friends.

'We'll leave you to your celebrations Lady Knight,' the Queen smiled generously.

'If I may request a word with you once the festival is over?' Jon spoke quietly.

'Of course, your majesty.' Kel knew that it would be her final briefing before she rode to Stonewall. She could be off on her mission in as little as four days. Kel turned to find her parents, with the future so uncertain she was going to spend as much time as possible with the people she loved.

* * *

The meeting with the King had been brief. She had had little to say to the man, even if he was the monarch she was sworn to protect. She was not friends with the man like Raoul or Alanna were. As the ruler of Tortall Kel showed him the proper level of respect and decorum. He however, unlike Alanna and Raoul, had not earned her respect. Whilst he may once have been a fighting knight, Kel doubted whether the King had crossed blades with anyone in months, if not years and he possessed neither Raoul's tactical experience, nor the subtle scheming mind of George.

The King informed her that he had reviewed the plans carefully and had approved them. He tried to impress upon Kel the importance of the mission to Tortall. In her mind images from her Ordeal plagued her, and memories of the sufferings she'd seen in Scanra flashed to the surface. Kel schooled her features into a blank placid expression; she didn't need the King to tell her what was before her very eyes.

'Good luck Keladry.' The meeting had concluded.

With her departure to Stonewall imminent, Kel had to undergo another round of goodbyes. It was easiest to smile and exchange sentiment with Lalasa, Lucie and her parents; those who didn't know where she was riding off to. The newly knighted Owen of Jesslaw hugged her fiercely, his usually cheerful face sombre.

'If I had to put my faith in anyone to pull this off, Lady Knight,' the Lord of Cavall had told her, 'Then it would be you. May Mithros guide your sword.'

By far the hardest person to say goodbye to was Raoul. She had ridden with the man for four and a half years. They'd worked, fought, laughed, been injured alongside each other for so long that it was hard to comprehend riding off anywhere without him. The curly haired knight knew more about Kel than anyone, he knew her capabilities, and her limits. It would be a long hard wait for him, wondering if her mission was to succeed.

In the end, to save both of their faces, Kel made sure the goodbye was quick. Few words were exchanged, just a fierce hug and a salute.

'Take care of yourself Kel.'

'You too, sir.' For Kel still found it odd to call her old knight-master Raoul.

Wrapped warmly and sensibly, with Hoshi packed with her most important possessions, Kel set off to Stonewall astride Prince.

The snowy landscape was quiet and empty. Kel rode without having to concentrate too much on where she was going. It have her time to think, for the icy wind to numb her cheeks and calm her swirling emotions. When she arrived at the fort, she had to be in the right frame of mind.

The men would surely be expecting a green knight, and to those who didn't know her, an inexperienced fighter. They would surely think that they were being fobbed off with a soft commander, a Lady knight. She had the task of entering those walls and quickly altering opinions. She had to be tough, demonstrate not only her fighting ability but her knowledge of Scanran. It would not do to be aloof. The men had to know her, know the relevant parts of her history and more importantly they had to learn to trust her.

Kel planned to be attentive when she arrived. She needed to assess how receptive the chosen eighty warriors were to the teachings of Tor, had he managed to impress any sympathy for the Scanrans onto them, or were the warriors simply there as a matter of duty to the Tortallan Crown?

She stopped for both nights of her journey in wayside inns. The second was but ten miles from the army barracks, but Kel decided to stop anyway. She would be rested and refreshed for her entrance in the next day. When morning arrived, a heavy sun hanging in a snow-laden sky, Kel dressed plainly with only a blue Mindelan tunic to denote her status.

With this tunic buried beneath quilted jacket, and her shield covered it took several minutes to persuade the soldier manning the gate of her identity.

'Apologies Lady Keladry,' the man said gruffly. 'We've just been told to be uh... selective in our guests. He opened the small gate set in the dark wooden palisade.

Kel looked around at her new abode.

'Forgive me,' Kel asked, 'but why is this place called stonewall, when everything's made of wood?'

The man chuckled. 'Well there used to be a stone wall didn't there, back in Jasson's day. This used to be but a guard hut on the wall.'

Looking around, Kel saw that Stonewall was now considerably larger than a single guard hut, although not much fancier. It had a similar layout to that of the northern forts, although it appeared to be more permanent in origin; being built of a mixture of stone and wood. There were four identical, long barracks, each with pointy roofs. There was also a large stable block connected to a much smaller barn. Between Kel and the buildings was a large open parade ground in which two companies could easily have assembled.

'Let me take you through to headquarters,' a different guard offered. Kel accepted, but before she left she asked of the first guard,

'What's your name?'

'Blyth your ladyship, Corporal Blyth.'

'And yours? Kel asked of her guide as they tramped across the slushy ground.

'Devon, Sir, my lady,' the man stumbled over the correct form of address. 'I'm from Second Company, it's an honour.'

Kel raised her eyebrows at his red tunic; he certainly wasn't dressed like a man of the Own.

'We all dress the same here, Lady Mindelan, in case the locals suspects something's up see?' His accent was wide and most probably rural in origin.

'Ah, that is sensible,' Kel agreed, her teeth chattering slightly now that she had stopped riding and had cooled down.

Behind the barracks there were some buildings that Kel hadn't expected to be there. A three storey building served, Kel presumed, as the headquarters. There also seemed to be a smithy and several other plain buildings.

'Storerooms, accommodation for the cooks, a healer's room and a bath-house' Devon pointed to each one in term.

'How many cooks do we have?'

'Three.'

Kel nodded approvingly, life at Stonewall wouldn't be too bad. As they reached the headquarters, Kel unstrapped her packs from Hoshi.

'Let me take care of these beasties,' Devon reached for Prince and Hoshi's reigns.

'It's alright,' said Kel surprised at the man's hospitality, surely he'd know that in the Own they took care of their own horses?

'It'd be a pleasure, my lady.' In answer to Kel's slightly confused look he replied, 'My brother's Osbern a-'

'Sergeant in Third Company?'

'That's him. The way he tells it Lady Mindelan, I owe you for his life. It's an honour to serve.' Startled, but pleased she'd made an ally so quickly, Kel relented and let Devon lead her mounts away to the stables. Hands full, Kel used her elbow to push the door open and enter the building.

'And here she is.' A quiet voice spoke from across the room. George Cooper sat at a desk, peering up from a bundle of parchment.

'Kel,' a hoarse voice spoke, faltering. 'Ana, is that you?' Tor always had called her Ana. Kel dropped her bags and strode forward to embrace the tall Scanran. It had been a long time since she'd last seen the heir to the Somalkt clan in the bloody chaos of battle. His hair was longer, almost shoulder length and straggly. Lines that hadn't been there before decorated the corners of his eyes and forehead. Most noticeable was the missing right hand. Even though Alex had warned her, it was still a shock to see her friend maimed so.

'Blimey you've grown,' Tor spoke in Scanran. Kel knew he didn't mean in a literal sense; she hadn't grown much taller in the last five and half years, but she was now a fully fledged knight, not some scrap of a girl pretending to be a scribe.

'It's great to see you.' Although her words sounded foolish, Kel meant them. She hadn't forgotten how the heir to the clan had so readily accepted her as a training partner even before Alex had showed up.

'And you also. Though I did not think it would be under these circumstances,' Tor shook his head. 'Alexei tells me one day, oh remember Kel, my little sister. She is nearly a knight now.' He laughed, temporarily removing the shadows of harsh days from his eyes. 'Look at you, just look at you!'

'Congratulations,' George spoke again, 'Lady Knight. My lass is that proud, I can tell you.'

Kel bowed, smiling her thanks.

'I did not expect to find you here, Baron Cooper,' she admitted, helping herself to a nearby chair.

'Well you've got my services for but a week or so. Best not to be away from the Swoop too long; I've left Aly in charge.'

Kel grinned, 'Then we must make use of you while we can. How goes their training?'

'Their Scanran is terrible,' replied Tor in heavily-accented Common.

'Without more than two Scanran speakers to learn from they try and learn from each other,' George explained. 'This sometimes leads to...interesting variations of phrases.' The corners of his mouth twitched.

'Last week they were all saying "Good morning, what a lovely cow this is",' Tor rolled his eyes. Kel chuckled appreciatively, knowing that to Tortallan ears the Scanran words for "day" and "cow" were similar.

'Well they don't need a huge vocabulary,' Kel said, 'They just need basic conversation, but the accent must be perfect. What else have you been doing with them? Has there been any major problems?'

* * *

After nearly a full hour of talking to Tor and George, Kel moved her belongings into the room that was to be hers as commander of the force. It was decent sized and the furnishings were comfortable, all a vibrant red to match the uniform of the regular army. There were then a few minutes to go and check on her horses before following Tor to the Mess hall.

Kel knew her arrival wouldn't have gone unnoticed and she felt it was best to address the men as soon as possible. Kel knew from her discussions with Tor that only one of the barrack buildings was housing the eighty soldiers. One was the mess hall and the other two had been cleared of their wooden bunks to make two indoor training arenas. Not only did this protect the soldiers from the winter weather, but also hid the noise and sight of their intensive training from any prying eyes.

Kel collected her food, a hearty plate of beef stew, and sat down in the nearest available place. She recognised the man diagonally opposite her as Gilave, from Third Company.

'Squire Kel!' He greeted her, 'Or should I say Lady Knight.' He knocked over a pitcher of water as he reached to shake her hand. This impulsive, laid back greeting seemed to break the tension in the group and soon Kel's brain was working hard to try and fix names and faces in her mind.

She finished her meal, and got up, reminding herself that the nerves she was currently feeling was nothing compared to her Ordeal at the beginning of the week. All the same, she needed to make a good first impression here.

'If you'll excuse me for interrupting your lunch,' Kel used her commanding voice, that carried across the hall and she paused, letting silence fall. 'I thought to say a few words before we press on with training.' She swallowed and pressed on.

'I am Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan and as you may or may not know, I have been placed in charge of this mission. I am aware that some of you will be wondering why a green knight has been asked to lead something as important as this. Because yes, this mission is important, extremely important.' Kel began to walk slowly up and down the rows of soldiers, dragging eyes with her as she did so.

'By now I'm sure most of you have guessed correctly that our mission entails work behind enemy lines. We are going to deliver a strike directly to Maggur, one that our King hopes will be the turning point of this war.' She paused to look around at the soldiers, all of whom were listening intently. Remembering how George had assured her that none of these men were spies, she continued. 'Tortall has allied itself with a group of rebels in Scanra, men and women who are going to help us into the Capital city, to storm Maggur's keep when he least expects it. If we can get the rebels to Maggur, good warriors, then we can stop this war.

The King has asked for me to train you, to lead the assault on Hamrkeng, because I am acquainted not only with the city, but also with the country we must travel through to get there. I have spent two years fighting for these rebels before I returned to my knight training. During my time as squire to Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's peak, I have worked closely not only with the Own, but also the Riders and army. I hold great respect for all three forces and requested that we draw upon the finest for this mission.

You have all been hand-selected by your Commanders, not only for fighting prowess but also your ability to use this-' Kel tapped her own head. 'We've got the means to get you right inside Hamrkeng itself if you can keep your cool and play a part.' She paused to swallow, her throat feeling extremely dry, 'I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you over the next few months, to answering your questions and training alongside you.

I hope I need not impress on any of you the importance of our success, how many lives depend on us. Train hard, we're preparing to make history.'

* * *

These things take me AGES to write, please review :)

xx


	79. Preparations

**-a/n-** So yeah, I haven't updated yet in 2012. That alone is shocking. If you're still out there waiting for an update I'm SO sorry it's been so long. I've had a year out from veterinary to do a pathology degree, and between lab work, papers, essays and the wonders of life, fanfiction has sadly taken a back seat. I know I say this every year, but really, Fallen is going to be finished this summer.

Hope you're all doing well wherever you may be,

Much love xx

* * *

When Kel awoke she had a fleeting moment of disorientation; where in the mortal realms was she? Then the knowledge that this was her new room at Stonewall filtered in and she relaxed back onto her surprisingly comfortable cot. It was still dark outside, but Kel sensed that it was nearly time for her to rise and face her first full day in command of the fighters.

She had sat up late the night before, catching up with Tor and wincing through the tale of how he'd lost his arm. Kel had to admit that she'd found the reunion with Tor slightly more awkward than with Alex. Up until now Tor had never lived in Tortall, unlike Alex, and Kel had some difficulty in explaining what she'd been doing since she'd left Somalkt. At the very mention of his fallen Clan, Tor's eyes darkened with intense pain. Kel supposed losing your clan would be the equivalent of losing Mindelan and all her closest fighting colleagues all at once. He was still the young man she remembered, but somehow quieter, smaller than his once large character deserved.

As she rose and began to carry out her routine exercises, Kel felt the pressure of once again having to prove herself; to the men that she was to command, to Tor, and most of all to herself so she could in some way justify being away from Alex's side during this time.

After a quick breakfast, the men assembled inside on of the empty barracks. They laughed and joked amongst themselves, but Kel could feel the frequent glances that fell her way. She did not have to wait long; good soldiers were rarely tardy.

Her plan for the morning was to drill the soldiers in what she knew best; swordplay. Kel set drills for a while to warm up her fighters. These were both swordplay-based and limbering exercises; jumps and twists. Despite the arrays of styles being shown by the Riders, Army and men of the Own, Kel was relieved to find all eighty fighters proficient in handling the sword. To make this time useful then, she should acquaint them with the Scanran style of fighting, as well as practicing outnumbered, against axmen and fighting in restricted spaces such as corridors and stairs.

Practice weapons were distributed and Kel split the warriors so that they were fighting two against three. Those who were "killed" had to move to the side and carry out press-ups, squats and other exercises until the fights were over. Kel prowled between them, hazel eyes sharp, barking out comments where she saw the need.

Occasionally she intervened in the fights when she saw complacency creeping over the more prodigious fighters. Not only did this give her the chance to prove her ability in the flesh, but she also needed to train; she was going to go into the most important mission of her life as prepared as she could be.

For weeks Kel and her fighters trained mercilessly. They ate, slept and breathed fighting exercises. Aware that this punishing pace could produce a bone-deep weariness, Kel instructed her cooks to serve larger portions than ever and made sure her soldiers slept for long hours during the nights. If anyone was exhausted by the intensity, it was Kel. Whilst the others had time to rest and play cards before bed, Kel was constantly planning the days ahead, writing reports to George and the King, drawing up supplies and settling disagreements.

Not even before the King's tournament had she been so focussed on a goal. Knowing that she and Tor were the only ones who truly appreciated how much rested upon their success, Kel forced herself to open up about the things she'd faced in Scanra. One such night, Tor had joined her in retelling the tale of Somalkt's fall. The large Scanran wept openly, singing a song of such mournful lament that the whole barracks fell silent.

To prevent the training from becoming repetitive, Kel organised mini tournaments and competitions amongst the fighters. Sometimes these were individual events, whilst others were designed for teams.

When the disguises arrived, Kel assigned them all characters, teaching them how to build up a simple backstory. She made them act for hours as Scanran slaves or peasants, correcting postures, accents whilst trying to trick or provoke them out of character.

'You mustn't look me in the eye,' she repeated herself for what felt like the hundredth time. 'Now try again,' she said patiently.

* * *

The transition from winter to spring was not a glorious transformation from white gilded landscape to blue skies and green shoots. The snow melted slowly, leaving mud that would freeze overnight and thaw to ankle-deep bog during the day. The sky remained drab and grey, frequently emptying it's contents onto the wooden huts of Stonewall.

One such night, when rain hammered the ceiling of the barracks so fiercely that Kel wouldn't have been surprised if the timber had simply given in, all residents had gathered together to sing. Tor had been teaching them traditional Scanran folk songs, most of which Kel knew.

They were just entering the second verse with gusto, when Linden, one of the men on guard duty entered the barracks. Shaking water from his head like a dog, he gestured to Kel. When she drew closer he explained,

'Lady Kel, there's, well there's someone to see you.' He looked pale beneath a curtain of dark sodden locks.

Kel pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and dashed through the rain in a wholly undignified manner, until she reached her offices. Holding the door open for Linden, Kel's gaze took in the newcomers, who were seated on wooden benches close to the fire.

Before she could speak, one rose gracefully and turned to face her, blue eyes smiling.

'Roald! Your Highness,' Kel stumbled over the correct greeting. She had once considered herself good friends with the Crown Prince, but was unsure on what terms they now were, or in what capacity he was visiting.

'Kel, or should I say Lady Knight,' Roald shook her hand in congratulations. Kel smiled wearily.

'It's good to see you.'

'And yourself.'

'What brings you hear?'

'Shall we sit,' Kel indicated her office.

They left Roald's escort warming by the fire and shut the door behind them. Kel was slightly embarrassed at the disarray she'd left behind the previous evening. Pieces of parchment containing plans for individual training schedules, half drafted reports, a letter from Raoul, Kel swept them into a pile and perched on the desk. Roald took a seat, he had inherited the effortless elegance of his mother, and his father's piercing gaze.

'How much do you know about what we're doing here?' Kel asked directly.

'Not specific details, but my father gave me the gist,' he continued explaining. 'I've been surveying the Tusaine border since the autumn, then have been recruiting in the South and with the Bazhir' he grimaced, 'A good excuse to keep me away from the Northern border. Anyway, I just returned to the palace. My father brought me up to date on what's been happening.'

'Does anyone else know?'

'But a handful of trusted people,' at Kel's worried expression he assured her, 'Gareth of Naxen and the like. Discrete and would give their lives before betraying my father.'

Kel wasn't sure she was comfortable with a number of relatively unknown people knowing of Alex's plans, but she saw the need. It was especially important that Roald was for Alex's cause; after all, he might one day be the neighbouring monarch. Although that was thinking far ahead.

'Someone needed to bring the reports,' Roald handed her a leather wallet bound and stamped with a royal wax seal.

Kel accepted it, her eyebrows raised slightly. 'Working as a courier now?'

Roald ran his hand through his dark hair, in a habit that he might've once picked up from Neal. 'It gave me something to do, I wanted to see you. I haven't been in touch with anyone for months. I know you're likely busy being useful, but if you'd spare a few hours I'd appreciate hearing, well your story I suppose. I am informed that you are quite well acquainted with Scanra.'

Kel poured two goblets of spiced apple juice, considering the Crown Prince in front of her. He was well-fed, well-dressed, ever polite, most emotions tucked securely away behind the image of the man he'd been raised to be since a young child. Most considered him a quieter, somehow lesser version of his father. He was gifted, that was common knowledge, but Kel knew not how powerful he was nor how the realm would fare with this contained young man and Yamani bride at it's head. Personally Kel trusted this serious, mild young man far more than his charming, confident father.

Alex was so different so "un-royal" it was almost laughable. Whilst Tortall tucked their leaders away from the bloodshed of the war, Alex was skulking around the gods only knew where. Their cultures were inconceivably different, and yet, Kel liked both young men a lot, valued them, would serve them.

She set about telling Roald her tale. Leaving out nearly nothing, except the news that Alex has become her blood-bonded sibling. She was still unsure of the potential conflict between being sister to Alex and bound by oath to Jonathon.

The prince was a good listener and asked pertinent, thoughtful questions. He seemed particularly interested in the difference in culture that Kel described.

'It is odd, when you think about he,' he mused. 'We have books written on the intricate etiquettes of the Yamani Islands, teach our pages Carthaki history, how to greet Marenite women...and yet we haven't the faintest understanding of the festivals or structure of our northern neighbours' communities.'

'I left Tortall just wanting to get away from painful memories and learn to fight,' said Kel slowly, toying with a dagger on her desk. 'And I discovered, in amongst the slavery and war, people so vibrant, so alive. People that could sing even though all hope seemed lost, who could dance till the late hours of the night. Leaders who'd gladly risk everything they'd have for their people...' She trailed off and they fell into a comfortable silence.

The hour was late. Before they retired for the night, Kel asked her friend if he would stay a while in the morning to meet her band of fighters. It would be a perfect morale boost. Roald agreed, and as he was leaving paused, and turned to Kel.

'I don't know whether it's crossed your mind, Kel. But I believe that the you just happening to meet the heir to the throne of Scanra in the woods one day and being willing and able to follow him...that wasn't just chance. I reckon the gods are far more active in our lives than most believe. I hope you find it a comforting thought.' The quiet prince slipped out of Kel's office, leaving her already buzzing mind with more to think about.

* * *

'Bert, on your left' Kel cried out in Scanran. The heavy-set soldier pivoted to block the wooden sword swinging towards his side whilst Kel nipped in smoothly to engage the man that Bert had been fighting.

Clashes of wood-on-wood filled the barracks, grunts of exertion, exclamations and shouts punctuating the warm air. Perspiration tricked down Kel's forehead and her shirt was sticking to her back as she blocked and attacked, engrossed in her intricate dance. Her sword found it's way to her opponent's throat. He swore and threw down his blade.

Kel didn't hesitate before piling in to help out Rees. The fight was thinning was soon declared as a victory to her team. She had six men still standing, all congratulating each other between gulps of water.

The spring weather had taken a turn for the better and even the small breeze playing through the open door wasn't enough to cool the heat generated by the exercising men.

Kel was pleased with the fight, not particularly because her team had won; they nearly always did, but she sensed the huge improvement in the team's cohesion, not to mention their sword skill. They were even conversing with each other in fairly accurate Scanran.

The fight had finally made up Kel's mind. It was time to start moving the men out. She'd not received any exact dates or orders, but it would take them a while to make the journey north and Kel couldn't keep her fighters training in the safety of Stonewall forever. It was time for them to test their skills against what Scanra had to offer.

Each team had separate orders, unique disguises and backstories that they'd rehearsed excessively. These had been kept secret, in case, Mithros-forbid one of her teams was captured and tortured. They were to travel north, disguised as squads from the regular army before leaving their horses in the Trebond stables, that much had been arranged. Beyond that, they would travel on foot to the smugglers' crossing, in disguise with little more than packs of food and their own swords.

Wary of the potential for Maggur to have spies inside the northern forts, their departure from Tortall was to go unnoticed and this would involve testing Kel's squads ability to evade Tortallan patrols first, before even entering Scanra.

Once they were across the border, each squad had a destination and if all went well, would be met by Alex's people in various villages and hideaways who would help to smuggle them into Hamrkeng.

Over the weeks she'd been watching them train Kel had selected "team leaders" to take responsibility for each squad in between the times when they could be commanded by either herself, Tor or Alex. It hadn't taken her long to pick out those with a natural ability to assess situations and take command. Several had already held positions of command in their previous workforce, be it Army, Own or Riders, but there were also several young fighters who Kel thought would also do well

"Great work,' Kel praised, drawing her thoughts back to the present. She clapped Rees on the shoulder and beckoned her team in.

'We're not going again, surely?' puffed Henry, his face red beneath a liberal helping of freckles.

Kel surveyed the ten faces turned towards her, all who were prepared to listen to a green knight. It was hard won respect, but a respect strong enough that each would place their lives in Kel's hands once they moved into Scanra.

'In a moment would you run and fetch the other squads, no cooks or anything, just the eighty of us.'

'We're moving out, ain't we?' said Seb, his voice hushed.

Kel met his eyes, then each of her other soldiers in turn. There was excitement mixed with trepidation in every gaze; although hardened soldiers, they'd never gone undercover before.

'We're ready.' She said decisively, firmly.

Her group dispersed, and as the news broke Kel could hear exclamations followed by a hushed tension that seemed to permeate the entire camp. It took under five minutes to assemble the warriors.

'This may well be the last opportunity I have to talk to you as a whole,' said Kel, who squared up to the weight of eighty pairs of eyes upon her small frame. 'You know your roles, you know your objectives, your destination, you've heard of a country ripped apart, of the struggles of ordinary people. But what I will remind you of is what this means for Tortall, for our home. Would you think with me of what I know you've been through over the last three years, the battles fought, of comrades, friends, family even that didn't make it home. Of the months of waiting for attacks, unable to be predicted or prevented.'

She paused.

'You were chosen as not only some of the most elite fighters this country has to offer, but also some of the smartest and we could not have asked you to give any more than you have done over the last few months. Whilst you may feel that this has been a last-ditch attempt to bring down Maggur, let me remind you that this is the culmination of nearly a whole decade of planning and preparation. Our Scanran brothers have dreamt of this approaching day, and thousands have died for it. We have one shot,' Kel's free hand balled into a fist and she swallowed, her mouth dry. She'd never thought she'd be one for impassioned speeches, but then again she'd never invested so much time and energy into one group of fighters, never felt so much responsibility for a mission's success. She continued,

'You probably don't know this, but when knights swear their oath to the crown the first thing it speaks of is protecting those weaker than yourself. Honour makes no distinction between races or type of people, we do this because it is right and may the gods themselves honour our cause. Fight well.' She saluted her men in Alex's fashion, her fist to heart and then forehead. The men mirrored her movement.

'Squad leaders to me.' As the seven other leaders followed Kel to her office, the group dispersed.

Inside, Kel handed out final instructions for their departure from Stonewall from behind her desk. She clasped her hands firmly behind her back, bolstering herself. As the leaders turned to leave, Kel spoke, her parting words sombre.

'I've faith that we can get people into Hamrkeng,' she said, only slightly more confidently that she felt. 'Alex's operations are tight, the covers should hold and his men, whether fighters or not, will be loyal, trust them.' Kel moved around to the front of the desk and clasped each mans hand in a firm shake.

'Bring as many back as you can.' She whispered, once the door had swung shut behind the last of them.

* * *

Kel exchanged her Mindelan-blue tunic for a red regular-army one. There were no female warriors in the regular army, but with her chest bound tight, her hair wound in a knot and disguised beneath armour, Kel could pass as a man. She checked her pack one last time and sighed. It was time to head back into life on the road.

It was the middle of the night, the yard lit by a single flickering torch as was customary. Despite the near pitch-darkness Kel and her nine fellows had no trouble readying their horses, their fingers were well practised at finding buckles and adjusting straps.

Kel was looking forward to the ride north, if not to leave the confines of Stonewall but to get properly back in the saddle, albeit briefly. Usually, Kel's training heavily involved work with her mount, but since the ever-faithful Prince would be left at Trebond, this was a mission she would have to face without him.

They led the horses quietly from the fort, mounting swiftly once on the road, and taking off into the night. The only other woman in Kel's squad, Lyssa, was dressed as a royal courier, to explain their haste on the road to passersby.

Through the night they rode mostly in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Shortly before dawn they stopped to eat, water the horses and rest for a few hours. After four hours of sleep, the watchman roused Kel and they mounted again. The day was grey but dry, something for which Kel was grateful and they made good progress.

By nightfall, they were stiff and tired, but like good soldiers, there were no complaints and dinner was cooked stoically. They erected one shelter and set up bedrolls alongside each other. Conversation was bland, no one wanted to speak about what lay ahead. Even the usual banter between those who originated from the Own, Riders or Army was noticeably absent. Kel sensed that now they were on the road again, each man was missing the familiarity of the force they'd chosen to serve. She knew how they felt. Seeing Raoul's tired smile, or Dom's bright blue eyes at the end of the day would've made this gritty journey more bearable.

'Are you sure about this Lady Kel?' Rees asked dubiously, regarding their small shelter.

Kel raised her eyes.

'Kel,' Rees corrected impatiently. 'It's not well, it's not exactly appropriate.'

'If Scanrans were searching for us, would you hide in a cave with me?' Kel asked, continuing to inspect the map laid out upon her lap.

'Well yes, but-'

'We're on a mission.' Kel replied flatly, she needed to be clear on this now. 'Are you planning on behaving inappropriately towards Lyssa or myself?'

'No,' exclaimed the soldier, crossly, 'I'm a married man, my lady, but-'

'That's fine then. We will all sleep in our own bedrolls, yes in the same tent.' Kel's tone indicated the topic was closed.

Seb took the first watch, and despite the slight shifting and heavy breathing of her squad mates, Kel slipped into slumber quickly.

* * *

The route to Trebond was not a direct one; each squad had a separate route so as to avoid eighty warriors thundering up the same road in a short space of time. As such, Kel's squad only crossed paths with one other group on their journey north. Markus's, who'd had to stop for an afternoon whilst two of their horses were re-shod. The two groups acknowledged each other, giving no hint that there might be a deeper cause uniting them.

Saddlesore and tired, Kel and her squad arrived Trebond, still under the pretence of bearing a message from the King. If all had gone well, then the other squads would be camping wild in the land surrounding the fiefdom.

Baron Coram would pretend that the message contained instructions from the King concerning the storage of replacement mounts for the army. This would allow Kel's men to bring in their eighty horses without arising suspicion. Some of the squads would dress in civilian clothes, as horse-handlers whilst others would retain the red uniform, posing as guards for the train of horses.

Kel was led into the keep itself, peering out from underneath her helmet with interested gaze; this was the castle where the Lioness grew up. Only once she was in the study, did Kel remove her helmet and unwind her sweaty hair from the knot. Tucking her thumbs into her belt, she waited. The room was sparsely decorated apart from a prominent portrait of two red-haired twins, both depicted with imperious gazes and impeccably dressed. The dress-clad girl with violet eyes was clearly the young Alanna, the slightest hint of rebellion featured on the young face. However it was the boy who drew Kel's gaze most. If the painting was accurate then they really were identical. Kel often forgot that it was only because of her identical brother that Alanna had been able to make the switch in the first place. History told that the Lioness' twin brother had been a great sorcerer that had died during the coronation battle. Rumour said that he had brought the evil Duke back from the dead. It made the hairs on Kel's arms stand on end just thinking about it. If they ever managed to kill Maggur then she would want to make sure that he remained dead! She was jolted out of her thoughts by the creaking of an oak door to the right of the picture.

A big man with snow-white hair and a slightly shrunken appearance came through the opening frame to meet her. He leaned on a walking stick, and supported a buxom, sensibly-dressed woman with his other arm. Kel bowed to both as they entered. Coram Smythesson and Rispah Cooper had lived a quiet life away from court, owing perhaps to their common heritage, and Kel had never met either of them before.

'Lady Knight,' the man ducked his head stiffly, his eyes roaming over Kel. Rispah curtseyed slowly, but with dignity.

'It is an honour to welcome you to our home,' she said formally, her eyes were kind and crinkled at the corners.

'It is I who am honoured,' said Kel. She did not need to say that if it had not been for the actions of the man before her, then she might not have been standing there a knight. 'I thank you for allowing us to stop here.'

There was a tinkling bell and a maid entered with a tray laden with tea and sweet treats.

'Here, let us sit,' said Rispah, gesturing to leather chairs set before the hearth. 'My knees are not what they once were.'

Kel felt surprisingly nervous before the husband and wife. She wiped her hands on the red tunic, acutely aware of the state she was in after a week on the road.

'Just look at you lass,' said Coram, leaning back and resting his arms on his chest. 'My Alanna will be that proud.'

Coram and Rispah turned out to be extremely pleasant, down to earth people who had made excellent preparations for Kel's group to have a couple of days rest before leaving their horses and carrying on northwards. Once Kel was satisfied that everything was sorted, the conversation became less business-like. Supper was bought in and once she'd been assured that her men were receiving similar food downstairs, Kel tucked into the meal with gusto.

They spoke for a while on mutual friends, Coram entertaining Kel with memories of Raoul and Alanna during their training years. Coram, who had once been a blacksmith, was very impressed by Courage and spent a good few minutes examining the craftsmanship in detail.

The couple spoke often of their ten children and Kel was having trouble keeping up with who was who. She was surprised to realise that she'd already met Daran, in fact knew him quite well from her time in the Own. Various other Trebond children were fighting in the war it turned out, as Knights, squires or in the Riders. The couple had a vested interest in seeing the war finished,

'We just want them all back safely,' Rispah whispered, tears in the corners of her eyes.

* * *

Tears splashed silently onto the wooden table, slightly coarse breathing the only sign that Alex could hear of the woman's deep distress. They sat. Any words would've seemed empty, hollow in his mouth. He'd already made a cup of tea, which now sat untouched and cold before the grieving wife.

He had people he needed to meet, urgent things to arrange, but Alex couldn't bring himself to leave the widow's side. The swell of her belly was an ugly reminder that not only had a husband been lost today but also a father.

'It was quick,' the statement, made with a quavering voice, struck Alex like a blow.

'Yes,' he replied gruffly. 'The poison works in under a minute.'

He spoke of the tablet given to most of his freedom fighters which they were to take in event of discovery. It had saved poor Gilgean from death by torture, and had probably saved the lives of his family and others in Alex's network. The man, a baker by trade, had been smuggling shields in, beneath bags of flour, ready to be stashed in Hamrkeng when his cart had been subject to a rogue spot-check. From the moment the city guards had stopped his cart, he'd been a dead man.

'You should go,' Millyae told Alex. 'I'm sure you've more to be doing.'

'Is there anyone I can-'

'No, we'll be fine.' Millyae placed her left hand protectively on her bump. She was but twenty years old, married for only a year to Gilgean, who'd been supporting Alex before he'd even met her.

Alex was concerned, not only for the wellbeing of the young mother, but also for the security of his network.

'I can have you moved out, cared for-'

'No,' again the woman cut across him, her eyes stern through the tears. 'This was our home and his father's home before that. People rely on these ovens for their daily food. No one sells buns at our prices anymore. Besides,' she dashed her wet eyes on her sleeves, almost angry at herself for the tears. 'I want to be here when He falls.' She looked straight into Alex's hazel eyes. 'I want to be here when you ride down Main street. I want to be cheering with the rest, so we know that my love didn't die for nought. I want to live in this town till I die, and I want my babby to grow up, telling others of what a great man his Pa was, how his Pa helped to kill that,' she shook her fist, words unable to describe Maggur.

'Go, go,' she suddenly stood, clearing the un-drunk tea from before her and startling Alex. 'I'll see you at the usual meeting.'

Alex stood, bowed, clasped her arm, saluted and left without another word. He'd send Marthea around to check on the woman later.

Once outside Alex didn't bother to put on his jacket, despite the icy winds. The pinpricks of cold were welcome to permeate the numbness that had descended. He was being crushed with the weight of expectation. He was far more afraid of failing people like Millyae than he was of dying. Alex wanted to scream, cry out, kick things, release the tension that had been building inside him for years.

Instead, he suddenly found himself short of air, gasping like a fish out of water, he staggered like a drunkard into an alleyway. Crashing to the floor on his knees, Alex wept, his hands grabbing fistfuls of his own hair he rocked back and forth, completely alone in the depths of the Scanran night.

* * *

Not the most action-packed chapter, but we're getting nearer the finale!

Reviews would be much appreciated x


	80. Undercover

-a/n- Hello again! Happy Olympics! I'm SO excited about London 2012 :D I went up there on Sunday to watch some hockey and the atmosphere in the park is AMAZING. Since then I've been watching on the tv/computer at any opportunity -sighs happily- "Inspire a generation" is the slogan plastered everywhere, well it's certainly inspired me :)

Much love, especially to you who reviewed,

Confusedknight xx

Ps Oh, and a couple of you mentioned in your reviews about Coram being unlikely to have ten children, I agree but it's canon! According to the Tortall wiki (endlessly useful source of information) they all have names! Who knew?

* * *

_Raoul,_

_I hope this missive finds you in good health and that these godscursed Scanrans stay bedded down for a while yet. I had a visit from your friend, not three days hence. It was good to see her after hearing so much talk over the years. At first I couldn't have spotted her and my lass to be at all alike. So quiet, controlled in a way that Alanna never was! But when she got talking I began to see it, the same drive and focus, like when her mind was at something it wouldn't matter what was in the way. I hope the Mother guides her too, for all our sakes. _

_Following winter preparations, we're ready to receive up to a company of wounded soldiers for recuperation. I've a team of healers and beds to spare, as requested by the General last summer. I've included plans for transport from the field hospitals through the Grimholds. _

_Once this war is over I've a mind to make a visit south, it's been far too long._

_Mithros guide your arm,_

_Coram_

The commander of Steadfast looked up from the letter with a half-smile, pleased that the gruff guardian of the first Lady Knight approved of Kel. Raoul too had found the comparison between Alanna and Kel intriguing, but had quickly just learnt to accept them as two separate entities. They were however the start of a unique brand of warrior, one that Raoul had perhaps slightly overlooked; Kel was just not as good as a knight, she was also a Lady Knight. Maybe, if she survived this crazy mission, it would be good for Alanna and Kel to spend some more time together. Surely Alanna would have things to teach Kel that Raoul hadn't? Equally, if the Lioness could learn from Kel as Raoul had done, it would be no bad thing.

Raoul sighed, allowing his thoughts wander to a post-war Tortall. Familiar daydreams of making Buri his wife filtered in, being able to spend his days and nights with her without gossips running rife. Of having dinner with Gary, Jon, Alanna, Douglass, Sacherell and the rest of the old crowd, back in Corus not spread across the country holding it together. Roaming the land he knew and loved with Third Company, visiting the Bazhir tribe he'd neglected, introducing Buri to them-he knew they'd approve of her. Raoul's musings were interrupted by sharp rapping on the door.

'My Lord, raiders have been spotted North of the fort,' Lerant wasted no time in informing Raoul that he was required in the command room. The war was beginning again.

* * *

Freezing water drenched Kel, slapping her already dripping face. It made her gasp, and shut her eyes tightly. She was clinging to the wooden craft with numb fingers, afraid because if she went overboard death in the tumultuous Vassa was near-certain.

The noise of the churning river all but drowned out the sound of her squad's yells and prayers. Kel had no idea if the man in charge of the boat was even still in the boat, let alone in control. She tried to turn her head, but was slammed against the side of the boat even as yet another surge of water doused her. Wet hair was plastered across her face, which Kel tried to push to one side using her shoulder; there was no way she could let go of the boat and use her hands.

It seemed like an eternity before the buffeting became less intense and Kel chanced properly sticking her head up to wipe sodden locks from in front of her eyes. A quick head count told her that she'd not lost anyone overboard, although if the craft became any fuller of river water there was a chance that any of them might actually drown in the boat.

'Aye there she does,' grinned the toothy old man as he brought the skiff onto the gravelly Scanran shore, further westwards than they'd been on Kel's last visit to Scanra.

Kel was amazed to see that despite the assault on the boat, they had washed up directly opposite the shore they'd left.

'Whadda tell ya?' The mage shunted the boat properly onto firm land and hopped lightly from the craft, not a drop of water on him.

Kel's men almost tripped over each other in their haste to be on dry land again. Although it was harder to see now that they were wet, each now had hair died lighter than normal, more in keeping with Scanran folk, and they'd swapped army uniform for the drab brown and un-dyed peasant's garb.

Shaken, Kel helped unload their gear in silence, indicating with hand signals that Rees and Lyssa should keep watch. Their packs were carried off the open shore and into the scrub. Blending in with the darkened wood, Kel's squad disappeared one-by-one.

She handed the smuggler the gold coins as promised. He tested them for fakes with a small knife and, satisfied, pocketed them.

'Best luck with thee,' he cackled and set back off. Kel watched him briefly as the boat began its journey tossing and whirling in an unnaturally straight line as the mage's gift fought the power of the river.

Her skin prickling, Kel clambered into the wood and quickly located her squad, holed up in a thicket. Some of the men had removed their shirts and were wringing them out, displeased expressions on their faces.

'A bit rough,' muttered Bert, 'A bit rough.'

'Lady Knight?' Lyssa was looking to Kel for instruction.

'Fighting gear on.' They had two options whilst travelling north in Scanra; be protected in mail-studded gear and armed, or dress inconspicuously as peasants. The latter disguise would be necessary as they neared the capital, or travelled on well-used roads. For now, sneaking through the wilderness, it would be safer to be armed.

Full armour would have weighed them down, so each soldier wore a long mail shirt that protected down to elbows and thighs. A brown shirt over the top helped to camouflage the footsoldiers and prevent glare off of the metal. Other than their own daggers and swords, and a few bows to share, they were practically defenceless should they stumble across any of Maggur's army. Still, it felt more comforting to be moving through the forrest armed.

Even at their steady pace, the journey north was far slower than it had been the previous summer when Kel had been on horseback. They were also winding their way westwards, as Hamrkeng lay nearer the coast than Rathhausak. For the first few days the landscape was just dense forrest, ever shifting and rustling, every creaking tree making Kel's heart leap. They settled into a rhythm of tramping for four hours at a time, swapping scouts every hour. Even unburdened as they were it was a gruelling pace and their food supplies were stretched thin. Kel did her best to supplement their meals with wild mushrooms or caught rabbits, but cooking anything was a risky business.

Kel's maps were inaccurate to say the least, and several times they came across abandoned dwellings that simply weren't marked as ever existing. This made Kel more cautious than ever not to chance upon an unexpected barracks or outpost. Once they'd had to make an excursion for miles, tracking around a lake that didn't feature on paper.

When they unexpectedly came across a large dwelling, Kel had to wonder whether they had gone farther west than she'd thought. Rather than wander for days looking for roads and landscape that might not even be accurately charted on her maps, Kel decided to risk entering a town.

For this venture she chose Henry to accompany her. In his late twenties, Henry was broad-shouldered, round-faced and freckly. Hailing from Second Company, Kel could rely on him not only to have her back in a fight, but the placid face also hid a sharp mind.

They changed into their peasants clothing, and, in a brave gesture removed all their armour and even their swords. Armed with hidden daggers only, Kel felt completely naked without Courage. The rest of the squad looked on apprehensively as they adjusted their outfits. Both wore frayed undyed shirts, Kel's overlain by a brown worn dress and Henry's completed with breeches. Kel unwound her hair and they both swapped stout boots for leather slippers.

As the rest of the squad melted away into the thick undergrowth of the woods Henry picked up a fake pack and Kel took his hand.

'Hans, shall we?' Kel muttered in Scanran to the slightly nervous soldier.

As they made the fifteen minute walk to the village, Kel sunk into the mindset of Lia, a refugee from her home in Dundine, married for the past three years to Henry, a blacksmith. She changed her walk to a less purposeful trudge, displaying the exhaustion that she felt from their hard journey. Henry's grey eyes were observant, noticing how Kel slipped into character with ease. Even he had trouble acquainting the downtrodden woman next to him with their driven, athletic commander.

The village was decent in size, although many of the forty or so houses stood vacant. It was also unsettlingly quiet. Where dogs and the yells of children should've permeated the fresh air, there was just the constant rustling of the trees and twitters from the birds they contained. A few scrawny chickens pecked through the dirt of their large enclosure and fresh laundry flapped lazily on the line.

Kel could see stooped figures attending the fields that lay behind the village and wondered how many villagers were left out here, fighting for survival.

An old man emerged from the third house in, clutching what was clearly a hand-made bow.

'Who goes there?' he croaked.

'What you want with us?' snapped the woman who followed him out. Both villagers' clothes hung loosely off of them.

'Peace,' called Henry, his deep voice calm and confident.

'We come only for direction,' said Kel, allowing desperation to enter her voice. 'Please, we mean no harm. It's just two of us, me and my husband, we've been travelling ever such a long way' she let her words tumble out. Better for the villagers to think that she was the talkative one. Henry laid a calm hand upon her forearm. He was better at acting than Kel could've hoped.

'Lia means we're a bit lost.' He said simply.

The old man let down his bow and leaned upon it.

'This be Irongate town,' he said, 'or what's left of us.'

'How many of you are there?' asked Kel timidly.

'Bout thirty, most women,' the man replied. 'And us too old to die by sword, left to starve.'

He eyed Henry, 'How've you escaped? I imagine He'd want a strapping lad like you in the army.'

'I was out, when they came.' Replied Henry.

'Where're you headed?' asked the more suspicious woman.

'To family,' Kel replied, biting her lip as though worried about telling the strangers too much.

'Where's the next nearest town?' enquired Kel's companion.

'Brookbridge, not four miles hence. There's an army outpost there,' said the man with a look that suggested he wasn't sure whether or not he should be warning him about it.

'Thank you,' said Kel.

'Have you any food to trade?' asked Henry. 'We have coin.'

'Coin? Pah,' the old man spat onto the ground. 'As if that has any value out here. Food is more precious than gems. If we had some to spare, my grandchildren wouldn't have died this winter.'

Grief twisted the Scanran woman's pinched face. She turned and fled back inside.

'Be on your way.' He looked them up and down. 'And be careful, else you'll be wearing his Majesty's red, and you-" he focused his gaze on Kel, 'Will be left starving, a widow of this war.'

Kel and Henry retreated from the village, trudging back down the dirt track only releasing each others hand when safely out of sight.

'Did you see the graves?' muttered Henry in low Common.

Kel nodded, her throat tight. Fresh graves; those who'd not been able to fight another Scanran winter.

'They'd no livestock apart from those chickens,' he continued, 'and the fields...they'll not harvest for months.'

'They'll stay there till the end, because what else can they do? There's no overlord to run too, no Crown treasury to pay for the deficit...there's not even anyone to trade with because Maggur's taken _everything._ There's no farmers left in the south because they're all in the army, and any food from the plantations in the north is going straight to Hamrkeng or the army.'

After a few minutes Henry broke the silence that had descended.

'My family are farmers.' Kel looked around at him. 'On the borders of Veldine by a small village not dissimilar to that one.' He paused. 'It's a tough, inglorious way to make a living and our nobles have little regard for us...' he chuckled under his breath. 'You know sometimes I forget you, my Lord and others in the Own are nobles, because you don't look and see peasant, you see people. Well, that's by and by, but however little love there is between house Veldine and us, when the harvest didn't come in, or when the granary was burned by raiders, they provided for us. Even the Crown stepped in one year of bad floods...These people have no one, because them in power have no sense of honour or duty. And that's plain wrong, Lady Kel.'

Kel smiled, knowing, if little else, that she'd won at least one more heart for her cause.

* * *

Tor fingered his stump of a wrist absent-mindedly, feeling out it's many lumps and grooves. He was grateful to still be alive, and while his ragged stump disgusted him at times, it was a constant reminder that he had unfinished business to attend to before leaving the mortal realms. He would live to see the downfall of the man who'd destroyed all but a remnant of his Clan.

There it was! The low, hooting whistle. Tor replied in kind, making the two men beside him startle out of their watchful reveries.

'Stay here,' he whispered in curt Scanran, and crawled out of their hiding spot. Tor's bare feet felt their way silently down the slope to the stony path. Through the moonlit night, Tor could see movement ahead. His good hand went to the sheath of his sword, as his heart beat a rapid time.

'Friend, it's late,' Tor spoke through the soft night.

'It is,' agreed the stranger, 'but the right hour is upon us.' The man new the correct response and Tor had no choice but to trust that he wasn't an impostor.

'Where's the other?' said a man with a thick Western Scanran accent.

Tor whistled up to the two Tortallan soldiers Ingram and Marek, who hurried down the slope a lot less stealthily than he had done.

'How did you know when we'd be here?' asked Tor.

The slight Scanran peered back at him through the dark. 'I've been walking this bit of road once a night for two weeks now. He said you'd be here soon enough. I'm not expected to take the three of you am I?'

'No good friend,' replied Tor, 'I've somewhere else to be.'

'Good,'grunted the Scanran, 'I've only got two sons for them to imitate.'

'This is where we part,' Tor turned to two of his Tortallan men, Tortallan friends. 'Hopefully not for long.' He clapped them both on their broad shoulders and then saluted the Scanran. The small man looked at him, eyes flicking from his missing hand to his face. The man surprisingly bowed, before saluting him in reply. 'Torrien one-hand,' he acknowledged, respect in his voice.

Tor slipped away into the night.

'Luck of the gods be with you,' whispered Marek.

'Pah,' said the Scanran to his two charges, 'The gods have long forsaken these lands.'

* * *

Similar meetings and exchanges were happening in the lands all around Hamrkeng. Strangers meeting at exact locations that probably only Alex was aware of, each with an exact plan for smuggling Alex's Tortallan fighters into the capital city. It was a slick process due to Alex's immaculate planning over the last few years.

Kel knew the locations also, but was unaware of who they would be meeting at each spot. And whilst she knew where her fighters should be in theory, she was only there to see four of her men spirited away by a miller and his family. The rest would be making there way into the capital with her and the squad would rejoin in a safehouse in the city.

It was agonising for Kel to not know how the others had fared, but she kept her worst imaginings at bay by focusing on the present. Through the pitch-black night, they followed a short, stout woman up a winding path. They were almost at the crest of the hill when they came upon a ramshackle cottage in need of repair.

'In here,' the woman gestured. And Kel, and five of her men, ducked into the house.

'Let's have a look at you then,' pink flame sprung up in the woman's hands and by it's rosy light, she examined the six Tortallans, her gaze resting finally upon Kel.

'I know you,' she said shrewdly. 'I know your face.'

Now the woman had said something, Kel's memory sparked, 'Lanith?' she remembered the woman whose family had allowed her and Alex to spend one snowy winter in Sekholm in their cave.

The look on the woman's face confirmed Kel's guess.

'We met in the Retreat a few months before fleeing to Rokang.' Kel explained.

'Elinah, of course!' exclaimed the woman, her stern face breaking into a smile. 'Here's me worried about picking up a group of strange foreigners and here you are, a girl who was like one of my own daughters for a season.'

Aware that now she had taught her men Scanran, speaking in the northern language was no longer as secretive as it once had been, she stepped forward to embrace the older woman. 'My name is actually Kel,' she said awkwardly.

The older woman blinked. 'Were you working for _ him _already?'

Kel nodded.

'So young,' the woman shook her head sadly. 'What times we live in.' Her face brightened. 'You were good with a sword back then, weren't you? Alex needs fighters like you.'

One by one, Kel introduced the taciturn Scanrans to Lanith, all the while assaulted by memories of that winter. Lanith had had a husband and two daughters back then, but Kel was almost afraid to ask of their fates.

'Here,' the lady lifted a well-disguised panel of flooring to reveal a dark hole.'You'll have to stay down here for a day or so, my husband's not back with the horse and cart yet. There's blankets and water down there. No food I'm afraid, but we'll have some soon enough.'

The five Tortallan men clambered down into the cellar, leaving Kel with Lanith.

'How long do you think he'll be?' she enquired.

'He should be back tomorrow afternoon,' Lanith made the sign against evil. 'Then we'll load you all up and set off the next morning.'

'How did you come to be down here?'

'My husband was injured in the flight from Sekholm. At the time it was life-threatening, but he pulled through. Twas actually a blessing, Maggur only looked for able-bodied men when he finally got to Rokang. We moved on to a town on the river west of Gelfunt. Till one day, into that very town came Alex and his men, most of them in a bad way, after a fight and a long trek through the forest. We recognised him as the man who'd saved Sekholm. We helped him and his friends and he explained... He sent us to Hamrkeng with fat purses to set our family up as fur traders, on the condition that we'd help smuggle things into the city. We've left our daughters in Gelfunt, one married, the other a village healer.' She sighed. 'It is my dearest hope that this can be all over so I can see them again.' Looking at Kel, Lanith returned the question, 'And where did you pick these Tortallans up from?'

'I am actually from Tortall.' Kel explained. 'I had to leave Scanra for a while and have been fighting Maggur in the Tortallan army. Alex needed soldiers and King Jonathan agreed to let me bring some men up here to fight.' Kel wasn't sure why she left out the part about her being a Lady Knight; Lanith would probably find out eventually and it wouldn't be anymore dangerous if she did know her true identity, but it would drive up another wall between the woman that she'd once been quite close to.

'Well you rest now, I feel that time is rushing on. We're close now.' The statement didn't need explanation, Kel could feel it too, the climax of a decade of rebellion, change was in the air.

* * *

Kel slept well, enjoying a night uninterrupted by sentry duty. She awoke and lay motionless for awhile. It was still dark in the cellar so she had no way of knowing what time it was. After tense days on the road, with the physical drain and the fear they'd be discovered, she was quite exhausted. Minutes slipped by, Kel too tired to be afraid of discovery.

When the trap door opened, the Tortallans sprung to their feet, swords drawn.

'Well ain't that a fearsome sight,' smiled Lanith. 'I'm just bringing you all some bread. And light.' A ball of her pink mage fire flew to a bracket on the wall. I'm afraid there's no privy down here, but I've charmed that bucket over there not to smell.'

After the meagre rations on the road, the freshly baked bread, served with dried meat and eggs, seemed like a feast worthy of kings. Lanith left them to enjoy, shutting the trap door again. Now they'd made it this far it would be foolish to be careless.

By the pink glow of the mage fire, Kel led her men through stretching routines. Then, individually they ran through various drills to keep themselves limber, one at a time for the space was limited. Kel dozed, drifting in and out of consciousness, feeling safe down in this dark hideaway.

It felt like late afternoon when Kel was perusing memories of her squire days; snatches of moments with Dom and hours spent with Raoul, when she heard voices upstairs. Instantly she sat bolt upright, her heart racing.

A minute or so later, the trapdoor opened and Lanith's husband came down to join them. He embraced Kel and shook hands with the other men excitedly. Despite a heavy limp, Johann was looking in remarkably good shape. Nowadays, she supposed, what really separated the merchants from the peasants was not clothes, but how nourished you were.

There was another meal bought down, this one even heartier than the last and Kel appreciated the couple's efforts to make them comfortable. She could only hope that the rest of her fighters were receiving similar treatment.

After dinner, the plan was reviewed one more time. In the morn, they would set off with the six Tortallans in the cart, disguised as slaves. Johann was an up and coming merchant, whose frequent visits outside the city had made him well known with the guards. For all their sakes, it was hoped that they wouldn't think too deeply about him bringing in six slaves.

Their swords would be bought into the city on another delivery; it was simply too risky to smuggle them in with all the men; if the weapons were discovered it would mean all their deaths.

* * *

The next morning, or at least Kel presumed it was; she had rather lost track of the time, the Tortallans went about readying their disguises.

Lanith and Johann had six metal slave collars prepared which Lanith magicked shut. Kel couldn't suppress a shudder as hers tightened around her neck. She still bore the scars, both mental and physical from her days as a slave.

The men pulled on their battered shirts and breeches and removed their swords and daggers. Johann looked troubled and pulled Kel aside.

'The story we've rehearsed is that I've picked you up from slave market at Port Canush.' Kel's face must've looked confused because he continued, 'You wouldn't have such clothes if you've come straight from market.'

'I'm sure I've seen slaves wearing clothes at market,' said Kel, not saying that she'd once been auctioned.

'Not at Canush. Most are newly caught, and the buyers like them in just underthings so they can see what they're buying.'

Kel sighed, accepting the reality of Johann's words. She relayed this information to the others, who reluctantly stripped to their loincloths. Fighting a flush of embarrassment, Kel followed suit, leaving only her loincloth and breast band on. She tried to ignore the eyes roving over her impressive collection of scars. They were horrid reminders of the past, but equally reminded Kel of everything she'd been through, everything she'd survived to get to this point. It gave her a grim hope for the next few days.

Lanith came around the group, creating subtle illusions that would improve their credibility as a group of slaves. She gave each man the appearance of a slave brand on their left arm. When she arrived at Kel, she was waved away; Kel's arm was one step ahead.

They piled their swords and fighting gear together and left any unnecessary packs in another group before saying goodbye to their temporary refuge and clambering onto a rough wooden cart. Johann chained them together by their collars and also manacled Henry and Bert's ankles to the cart.

The husband and wife sat on an elevated seat and rattled the reigns, jarring the horse into motion. Rees, Bert and Henry looked determinedly at the floor, arms wrapped around their knees. Either it was very good acting, or they genuinely felt degraded by the way in which they were travelling. It was dejecting, Kel wondered whether if more nobles could be subjected to this treatment, whether they'd be more interested in trying to stamp out the trade.

Seb on the other hand was gazing warily around at the countryside they travelled through so openly. Kel was going to remind him to be in character, but then she supposed if he was a newly caught slave, he might be gaping in a similar fashion.

The day was mild, but not hot, and the breeze from the brisk movement of their carriage chilled their exposed skin. Kel had wrapped her arms around her torso, trying to preserve both warmth and dignity.

At about midday they stopped to let the shaggy horse drink water and all the humans relieve themselves. It was quickly back on the road though. As they drew closer and closer to the capital, the roads became busier and busier. Peasants, beggars, animal traders, rich men, squads of soldiers and merchants all passed them. At one point Johann had to take the horse and cart off the road altogether to allow a company of red bedecked marching men past. Kel could feel the tension in her men. These were the enemy they'd been fighting for so long, now was the test of who could hold their nerve.

Just as the sun was setting, sinking beneath the horizon in a somehow appropriately blood red sky, the gates of Hamrkeng could be seen. Although she was stiff and sore from the cart ride, it was nothing compared to how she'd last arrived at the city; injured and exhausted from her flight from Somalkt.

They approached the sprawling city, which Kel noted had acquired a slum of sorts outside the outer walls. She could hear the fast breathing of her fellows.

'Steady,' she murmured, her first words for hours.

'Ho there,' Johann called to the guard on the gate, casually, confidently.

'Master Trader,' a red uniformed soldier ducked out of the hut. He frowned slightly at the six apparent slaves in the cart. 'Not your usual cargo?' He raised an eyebrow at the lack of furs and skins.

'Fresh from Canush.' Said Johann happily. 'Man was practically giving them away. I could do with some help in a few of my warehouses.'

'Well if you're thinking of selling, you'd get a good price by the army. Particularly for some of the larger ones.'

'I'll bear it in mind, master guardsman, I'll bear it in mind.' Johann had perfected the gleam in his eye of a man who had a whiff of a bargain.

'Mistress trader,' the guard ducked his head and disappeared back into his hut. The massive steel-enforced gate, ground slowly open.

Kel felt light-headed with relief as the cart made it's bumpy way into the capital city of Scanra. Moving through the city itself was a tense affair. Kel found herself recognising streets and was even surprised to see a new house standing where Vischnauct's had once been burnt to a shell. A shiver ran through her that had very little to do with the cool air; when she thought back to all the narrow escapes she'd had...Kel just had to hope that her luck hadn't run out.

* * *

They spent that night in another concealed room, this one in the very attic of a town house that Johann had purchased with money that Alex had given him. Kel was relieved to be dressed in proper clothes once more, but wished that she had Courage nearby. With any luck their swords and fighting gear would be delivered within the next couple of days. Until then, and until they'd had confirmation from Alex that all the pieces were in place, it was a matter of waiting, something Kel hated.

Johann disappeared off again, leaving Lanith in Hamrkeng with the soldiers. It was agreed that Henry and Bert would, as Johann had told the guard, start work in the warehouses, just in case someone decided to come checking. Kel helped Lanith around the house posing as a cook and maid. The other three men remained stashed away and were joined shortly by the other half of Kel's squad who'd been smuggled into Hamrkeng posing as a miller's family.

Kel felt fortunate to be kept busy and even judged it safe enough to go down to the market to shop on Lanith's helped her get a feel for the city, comparing the locations of the guard posts to the maps and diagrams that she held in her mind's eye.

She watched the Scanrans going about daily business, completely ignorant to the Tortallan's stashed in their city, for the uprising that was about to occur. Kel had no idea how many people in the city knew of Alex's plans, and neither did she know the precise identities of the loyal supporters who'd agreed to hide Kel's soldiers in their homes.

Four days after arriving in Scanra, when Kel was washing up the pans they'd used to cook supper, Johann returned, announcing in a tired whisper that their weapons were safely hidden in one of his fur warehouses. Lanith almost cried with relief at the sight of her husband; their part in the scheme was over. They'd delivered both soldiers and weapons safely into the heart of Hamrkeng itself.

Three days after that, a young man with blonde hair and the weight of a country on his shoulders, slipped into the warm, low-ceilinged kitchen.

* * *

-a/n- Sorry it's cut off a bit briefly at the end there, but I feel it's better to stop there, than in the midst of some action...

Speaking of action, who's watching the Olympics? Anyone out there as addicted to it as me? What did you think of the opening ceremony? The Queen, James Bond, J K Rowling, Mr Bean and all the other amazing scenes...awesome. I hope the rest of the world enjoyed it as much as we did :) I also hope you enjoyed this chapter -not long to go now!

So much love xxx


	81. A Historic Day

Too excited to leave you an a/n here! Read read read...

* * *

Kel didn't have to say anything, she just gazed at the familiar face, taking it in inch by inch, the hazel eyes, noting with sadness the dark-rims beneath them and the stubbly cheeks. Alex looked tired. She stepped forward and embraced the man who was her leader, friend, and brother. Alex clung to her, his face buried in her hair, for quite some time. Luckily Lanith had gone to bed early and the others were all busy upstairs, giving the blood-siblings some privacy.

'We're nearly there Kel,' Alex murmured at her ear. It was a relief to hear the resolve in his voice, he was tired, but not yet broken.

Kel gave Alex a comforting squeeze before releasing him from her embrace. She made some hot tea, pouring them both large mugs before indicating that Alex take a seat. She also fetched some food from the larder, doubtful that Alex was looking after himself properly.

'Eat, then speak,' Kel instructed, taking a sip of her hot drink.

'Yes mother,' said Alex exasperatedly in a manner that was surprisingly reminiscent of Neal. Kel wished, when she allowed herself such moments of day dreaming, of a time when things were set right in Scanra and she could introduce Neal and Dom to Alex, and sit down with all her favourite people, Raoul, Lucie, Lalasa, Owen and even Wyldon, and just enjoy their company.

Alex wolfed down the bread, meat and cheese, but shook his head slightly when Kel made a move to fetch him more.

'Where are we?' Kel referred to the plans that had long dictated what would happen next.

'You're all here, except...' he took a mouthful of tea.

'What?' asked Kel, foreboding rising in her heart.

'We're missing five.'

'Who?' Kel's voice wavered, not really wanting to know the answer.

'Matthias, Lorna, Warren, Mikel and Charle.' Said Alex heavily. 'I hadn't come earlier because I've been trying to track down what happened. As far as we can find out, they weren't discovered, they've just been seized as slaves and taken East, either for army or plantation.'

'If they can keep their heads down...'

'They might be okay. But Kel, I can't spare anymore time to look.'

It was bitter to swallow, but Kel understood. She'd hold onto the hope that they'd be alright for the time being and that whatever happened in the next week or so there would be someone alive at the end of it all to go and try to free them. After a few reflective moments, Kel looked up and gestured for Alex to continue.

'My mage is in contact with Master's Harailt and Numair on the border. It is my belief that George has men closely monitoring Maggur's army. I also believe that the Wildmage, though very near to giving birth, had all sorts of birds reporting to her.'

'So we're just waiting?' asked Kel.

Alex nodded slowly. 'And we have to hope that the Tortallans can create just enough rumblings on the border to draw some of the army away. Once they've gone...'

'We attack.' Said Kel simply.

It was not an easy situation to be in, waiting when so many things were out of their control. If the Tortallans committed their forces and Maggur felt he had enough troops in the south without mobilising the forces around the capital, then things could go horribly wrong; their assault on the city would be doomed to failure and the Tortallan army would suddenly be fighting an offensive war in which high casualties were a certainty.

Tensions were running high and Kel had to intervene as petty arguments broke out even amongst the most veteran fighters. It was the horrible, endless _waiting. _Hours dragged on and on, trapped between eagerness to be doing _something_ and the fear that when it all started things had the potential to go terribly wrong.

One morning, on her usual daily trip to the market, Kel could sense that things were beginning to stir. She sent Lyssa back to Lanith's house so that she could investigate further without worrying about the Rider's Scanran. Kel was almost trampled by a mounted squad of soldiers that came haring down Market street. She made her way to a small bakers towards the north side of Hamrkeng. Kel ducked inside and was confronted with the beautiful smell of freshly baking loaves. Usually it would have set Kel's mouth watering, but not today. Today her stomach was fluttering, and her heart beating double-time, every nerve on fire.

The woman baker looked up over a stomach that was full with child. Widowed, not much older than Kel and with a babe on the way, Kel's heart had nearly broken the first time she'd met this determined young woman. Seeing who it was, Millyae beckoned Kel forward.

'What can I be getting you today?' And in an undertone she added, 'I've orders to bake as many loaves as I can in the name of the King. They're moving out.'

* * *

That afternoon saw an exodus of four hundred soldiers from Hamrkeng and its surrounding lands. The relief Kel felt was counteracted slightly by the knowledge that they were marching south to attack her friends and colleagues on the border. Luckily, as Alex had predicted, Maggur did not ride further than the city gates with his men. From her position amid a throng of clamouring townspeople, Kel caught her first glimpse of the man who she'd hated for so long.

Unlike Blayce, who'd been a small rat-like man, and unlike Stenmun who'd been nothing less than a giant of a man, Maggur looked to be pretty average in build. Like most Scanrans his hair was blonde, but he wore it close-cropped in a style not dissimilar to Lord Wyldon's. Ornate though the scabbard that hung at his waist was, the sword hilt itself looked well-used and Maggur held himself with a fighter's stance. Kel studied the man even as his blue eyes roved over his neatly marching soldiers. Once he glanced her way and Kel's heart skipped. She forced herself to keep up the role of a slave girl intrigued by the soldiers marching off to war for a little while longer, before sliding away through the crowd, back to Lanith's house.

Impatiently Kel waited for Alex to drop by. She had no idea where in the city he was staying, if indeed he was staying in one place. It was frustrating to have to wait to be visited and Kel spent most of late afternoon and early evening pacing the kitchen and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, running over plans endlessly in her head.

After dinner, Kel joined her fellow soldiers in the hidden room and worked off some energy by performing strength and flexibility exercises until at last, Alex poked his head around the door. Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately and Bert poked Rees awake, conscious that no one would want to miss this moment.

'Tortallan armies have crossed the Vassa in four places,' Alex spoke quietly, yet they didn't miss a word. Maggur's marshalling the troops for an assault at daybreak.

'Then we're going tonight?' questioned Henry.

Alex shook his head. Kel was pleased that her soldiers didn't erupt in outrage, despite clearly wanting to they were well trained and let Alex continue.

'We need the soldiers to be at least a day's ride away,' Alex explained. 'Maggur will still be setting up troops, the attack tomorrow won't be full force.'

Although it was difficult for Kel to accept, she trusted Alex, they had to. And finally, after years of waiting, she had a defined date on which they were going to strike at Maggur's stronghold itself. Tomorrow, the first of May.

Kel went with Alex that evening, slipping through the shadows of Hamrkeng after her brother. She met with her Tortallan troops, seeing some of them for the first time since they'd left Trebond. Many had been working as slaves in various industries, others had been holed away in cellars, attics and secret rooms. All looked wiser and tougher for their mission. They spoke Scanran with ease and seemed at home with both their comrades and Scanran hosts. Kel worried what effects the mission might've had on their fitness, but she tried to push this out of her mind; there was nothing she could do now other than instruct the men to sleep, eat and stretch well in this last twenty-four hours. Then they'd know...one way or another.

Final instructions were given and each man had at the ready both his sword and clothes that included a steel-studded jerkin, dark shirt and soft padded slippers. Kel returned to Lanith's house and donned her own dark clothing and protective gear.

Lanith came amongst the Tortallans and with a small hand gesture, removed all traces of magic from the Tortallans. Their iron slave rings clattered to the floor. Kel rubbed the slightly chaffed skin and flexed her neck, relieved to be rid of the collar. She settled down and slept fitfully for most of the morning. Kel had to force herself not to worry about what was happening on the border, where Raoul, Dom and the rest of Third company were. Instead she relived her years in Scanra, both the happy and painful moments, and prayed for the courage for what they were about to do.

_Great Mother, _Kel called out silently. _I have rarely asked for your favour, and I know I'm not your diligent vassal like Lady Alanna, but please, please would you be guiding and helping us this evening. If what people have hinted at is true; that the Great gods do want to see Maggur deposed, then would you please guide our arms and our heads later. Let Alex do what he plans, let us get him there, please, please_.

Kel pleaded to the silent deity for what seemed like hours. Late in the afternoon Millyae and Lanith bought bread to the hideout, their eyes desperate with a grim hope that the Tortallan fighters could fulfil all their hopes about finally rid of Maggur. The bread, which smelt wonderful, was tasteless in Kel's mouth and stuck in her throat. She forced some of it down; if they had to fight through the night she'd need all the energy she could get.

When the tenth bell had chimed, and darkness had truly encased Hamrkeng, the freedom fighters made last minute adjustments in their secret hideaways. Kel strapped Courage and several daggers to her dark belt and readjusted her wrist guards. She shook out her limbs, every nerve and sense jangling and alert.

She had been trying to make up a speech in her head for the past hour but the words slipped from her head as soon as she'd composed sentences; her mind was focussing on everything else; slight noises, the thumping of her heart within her chest. As Kel opened her mouth to speak, Rees beat her to it.

'We know what we're up against,' the man squared his shoulders. 'We know what we've gotta do. It's been an honour Lady Knight, an honour.' He saluted her with Alex's sign, just as she'd taught him. The others followed suit and Kel could only respond by repeating the gesture. Kel knew that if she lived to be a hundred, although that was looking unlikely at the present time, she'd never forget this evening; not just for the fight that was about to commence, but for the group of people she'd spent the day locked up with. Shoulder-to-shoulder they stood, from all backgrounds, united to help a country they'd never even visited before the mission, all ready to give their lives for a cause they only half understood but knew in their guts was right. Kel didn't think she'd ever seen such a definition of honour before.

* * *

They crept from the house, slippers padding silently across the cobbles. From a courtyard they dispersed in pairs, creeping through the shadows of the Scanran city. There were still people about, but dark cloaks drawn around their person helped to hide their weapons from any sober citygoers.

Unlike Corus, Hamrkeng did not have a palace, but it did not have a castle either. Rather a fortified district that housed the government buildings, army barracks and central command post from which Maggur ruled. The city hall was easily the largest building and rumour had it that Maggur had erected himself a throne at one end from which he could observe any subjects bought before him.

Whilst in theory, such a district was easier to infiltrate than a castle, it was a sprawling mess of buildings; not a good fighting environment. Once they were inside they would also be unable to secure the entrance, meaning that any sort of alarm that was raised could mean that Maggur could call for any aid from within the city. Their best chances were to strike, and strike quickly.

The other unpredictable element was the precise location of Maggur, and the likelihood that as soon as the invasion was discovered he could disappear into Hamrkeng city and be lost until his reinforcements arrived.

As the district wall loomed ahead of them Kel and her partner Bert ducked through the archway into a courtyard that was covered by canvas, and came face to face with half of her Tortallan fighters, waiting in silence. They raised hands of greeting but otherwise remained sensibly quiet. Kel and Bert shed their dark cloaks; they'd only get in the way once the fighting began.

Kel performed a quick headcount. Four were missing. They waited tensely in the bizarre tent-like courtyard. The surrounding buildings were eerily quiet. Kel wondered how Alex had arranged the removal of the buildings occupants. Five minutes later or so, the final four fighters arrived and explained in a whisper that they'd been waylaid by two drunk men trying to pick a fight.

Despite the distant sounds of the city, the atmosphere in the courtyard was so still Kel reckoned she could've heard a pin drop. Kel hand signalled five men to the front that were clutching rope-ladders and other wall-scaling equipment. She inhaled, the world was still around her for a moment and then, she brought her hand down in a decisive movement, they were off.

If everything had gone to plan so far, Alex's inside women would either have drugged or killed all the watch guards for this ninth to twelfth bell shift. It gave them a window of opportunity to scale the wall in two places that couldn't be seen from the main garrison, only from the watchtowers.

The rope ladders were thrown so that they draped over the walls. A scanran mage that Alex had assigned to Kel's invading force used his gift to secure the other ends of the ladders to the earth on the other side of the four metre high wall.

Quickly, and as quietly as could be managed, the men hauled themselves up the ladder. Kel raced up the ladder, one hand in front of the other; afraid of heights no longer. Clambering over the wall she half-scuttled half-jumped down the other side and surveyed her dark surroundings. They were to aim for the main garrison, where Maggur was likely to be, and try to prevent any of his soldiers from entering or leaving.

Kel hand-signalled that they split into two groups of twenty for the purpose of navigating the maze of buildings. When trying to sneak in such large groups there was little that could be done. Some of Alex's mages were fine illusionists and managed to hide the group from the eyes of some hostlers and also from two squads of newly recruited soldiers.

As they neared the garrison, fiery torches illuminated the paved square and Kel could see a guard squad lazing on the steps that led up to the main doors. There was nothing for it. With any luck, by now Alex and Tor's group would've made their way to the back of the building. Kel resettled her grip on Courage. And charged.

The group of Tortallans and Scanrans sprinted across the flickering courtyard. Shouts went up from the guards at the door, which lead to more confused red bedecked Scanrans spilling out of surrounding buildings. Kel's men crashed into the guards at the gate, and for several minutes Kel was lost in the roar and clash of the fighting. She was at the front of her fighters, Courage cleaving space ahead of them, whilst some of her comrades fought to keep other Scanrans off of her back. They had to get inside quickly and shut the door; they couldn't hold for long pressed on both sides.

The fight moved forwards slowly, and Kel's men were able to scramble over piles of bodies and into the entrance hall. One mage blasted a wave of Maggur's outside fighters back, which gave them the much needed chance to press the great oak doors shut behind them. Bolts were hurriedly slide into place and for now, their backs were protected.

Kel didn't doubt that the doors would either be quickly broken open, or that the soldiers, who knew the building a lot better than she did would find other ways in. They had to keep moving forward. It would be costly, but this whole mission was one big gamble. Someone had knocked over a vat of burning oil, whether on purpose or deliberately Kel didn't know, but it gave some of her fighters a chance to sprint away up the corridor.

Fighting in confined spaces was even more chaotic than on a battlefield and Kel had to let them go, there simply wasn't room inside to fight as a big unit. They knew as much as she did about the layout and whilst it was risky to spread out, it was the best chance they had of catching Maggur if he tried to escape.

Another two squads poured into the entrance hall. Kel took a brief moment to wipe the sweat and blood spatter from her forehead before ploughing into the fighting. She had trained her men well and the hall soon fell silent. A slice on her upper left arm was leaking blood, but Kel ignored it. She also ignored some dark figures dead on the ground; she daren't look at who they'd lost.

'Come on,' she called in Scanran, and took a route up the main stairs. There was the city hall, its entrance but a huge archway. The room that stretched beyond was _massive. _From a distance, Kel hadn't quite appreciated the scale of the building. It was also empty, so Kel kept her group of soldiers moving. Ahead of them fighters tumbled out of a corridor, Kel's group were set to charge again, when the men waved a white flag with a bloody red handprint at them.

'Stop,' Kel commanded, hurrying forward. There were six Scanrans, supporting a nearly unconscious elderly woman who Kel presumed was a mage.

'We're with Alexei,' one of the men explained, 'We got separated. There's been heavy fighting.'

Kel in truth had no idea where they should go, but sensed above all else, that they had to keep going, to search, ferret out Maggur.

'Right, half of you that way, try and find Alex's group and the rest of our fighters. Others, with me.' It seemed likely that if Maggur had set the city hall as his throne room, then there would be private rooms adjoined it at the back. Time to sniff out a rat.

They set off at a fast run down the length of the hall, adrenalin had flooded Kel's system and she felt more alive than she had in weeks. There was no time to think or worry any more, she just had to _fight. _They paused, facing the two doors at the back of the gigantic chamber. Sword raised, Henry flung one door open, the room beyond was empty. Kel motioned to the second door, which was duly opened.

Of the two chambers, the second looked more private, so Kel led her men in there. When they emerged out the back of the chamber, the corridor beyond was empty, but there were distant sounds of fighting.

'Hang on,' panted Eprim, one of the mages who'd stuck close to Kel throughout. He pulled out a scrying mirror from within his jacket. 'Ah ha'.

'What?' asked Kel urgently.

'It seems Maggur's pet mage has been killed; his protecting spells have disappeared, I can see him.'

'And?'

'I can't place his location, my Lady, I've never been in the garrison before, but he's with a fair number of his soldiers.'

This gave Kel hope; Maggur, like Alex had hoped he would, had stayed with his personal guard.

'We'll head toward the fighting.' Said Kel decisively.

On their way they came across several groups of Maggur's fleeing men. It was a hard decision, but Kel couldn't risk the fact that they might rejoin the fight later. All died quickly. They moved forward, blood dripping sluggishly from the ends of their weapons. Kel would agonise later about those men, and pray for forgiveness, for now she had more pressing concerns.

There was a great ruckus ahead. Red tunic clad soldiers vastly outnumbered the dark ones and had formed a ring around Alex's force in what seemed to be the mess hall. Kel surveyed the situation. If she didn't act quickly their group would be crushed; no one could fight pressed on every side.

'I need a distraction at the far end of the hall,' Kel yelled at the two mages, 'Anything you can.' She signalled to the rest of her fighters. They took up formation in flat 'v' shape and charged at the ring of red, at a point where it seemed thinnest. For three chaotic minutes, although it seemed much longer, Kel and her comrades were inundated by Maggur's soldiers. Whatever distraction the mages had come up with, Kel didn't know, too busy deflecting would-be fatal blows and slaughtering soldiers left, right and centre. It was a close call, and it had cost many of Kel's comrades lives, but they broke through to the main group.

Alex's men flooded through the channel they'd made, bolstering Kel's fighters. As a group the freedom fighters made a slow retreat from the mess hall. Some of the last soldiers, which included Tor, held Maggur's men back in the doorway whilst the rest of Alex's men ran for it. Alex was directing them down a corridor, it was the first time Kel had seen him in a fight for years and he'd not lost any of his impressive presence. She bought up the rear of the escaping soldier, tears escaping her eyes. For those left behind it was surely suicide; they'd sacrificed themselves to let the others get a minute's head start.

She pushed pain to the back of her mind as she ran after the depleted freedom fighters. What were they going to do? They were still hugely outnumbered and she had no idea where Maggur was. Alex had led them back into the city hall. He caught Kel's wrist, more roughly than he'd probably intended, but his hazel eyes were wild, burning with determination. It bolstered Kel, maybe, just maybe they still had a chance.

'Maggur's with that force of soldiers.' He said roughly. 'They're coming Kel. We need to barricade those two doors at the back.' But even as he spoke the words, some of the experienced Tortallan fighters had acted of their own accord; in this mad situation a clear command was hard to come by.

Kel's attention quickly turned to the other end of the hall where near a hundred soldiers were advancing. Kel swallowed, looking around at the perhaps forty soldiers they had left. Forty could take on a hundred, it could be done. But if there were other soldiers around the garrison then they were screwed.

The red forces halted, facing the dark forces. A voice rang out.

'Before we execute you, I would like to enquire who it is that had invaded my kingdom. Did King Jonathan send you? Is this all part of the attack he launched yesterday?' Maggur stepped forward, his sword wet with blood. 'I'm impressed that you made it this far,' he said honestly, almost unconcernedly.

'No, I brought them here.' Alex too stepped forward, all eyes upon his unassuming frame. 'I, Alexei of Rathhausak, have come here to take what is mine by my birthright.'

The soldiers had stilled, even those nursing injuries were hanging on every word.

Surprise flitted across Maggur's usually impassive face. 'Alexei, little Alexei?' He stared at Alex, scrutinising him.

'It's been eleven years _guardsman_,' Alex's voice was even, but the hatred was barely disguised. 'I've watched you shaming my people. But no more. In the presence of these witnesses and the gods themselves, I challenge you! A duel, you against me; may the one worthy to lead the clan of Rathhausak win.'

Maggur was slow to reply. 'Why should I?' he asked. 'I could kill you all easily enough.'

'Have you no honour left? asked Alex with scorn. 'You expect your guard to respect you if you haven't the courage to fight a challenger?' Kel watched Maggur's men shift uncomfortably as Alex continued to goad Maggur.

'I can replace them easily enough,' Maggur shrugged. 'Why I might even convince them that crazy little Alexei, who murdered his family had come to finish the job.'

Now it was Alex's turn to tense with anger.

_Come on Alex, _thought Kel _don't rise to it._

Alex schooled his face back to calmness before replying. 'It's common knowledge now that it was Jonai, encouraged by you of course, who did the murdering that night. Always getting someone else to fight your battles for you Maggur...Not that murdering people in their beds is a battle, but you couldn't even face that. _Fight me, guardsman._'

It seemed that the "guardsman" comment was finally what made Maggur snap and take a step forward. 'Alright, Alexei, I'll fight you. We'll see if the student can best the teacher at last.' Maggur's eyes glittered dangerously. 'Once you're out of the way, and your-' he sneered '_men _ are dead, we'll finish the Tortallans who've so foolishly invaded and the might of my Kingdom will know no end.'

Kel could hear the mad, power-craziness in Maggur's voice but was more shocked by the revelation that Maggur had been Alex's instructor in swordplay. She'd know Maggur had been in the Rathausak personal guard, but more than that he'd been Alex's _teacher, _undoubtably his mentor in the same way that Alex had taught her...

'Kel's my second,' she started at the sound of her name echoing round the great hall. Maggur scoffed at the sight of the lady warrior and selected a burly looking soldier to be his. By Scanran tradition the seconds would step in and fight in the unlikely event that both parties were fatally injured.

Alex stripped off his scabbard, so that it wasn't swing around his legs and wiped his hands. His eyes met Kel's for a fraction of a second and then they were back focussing on Maggur, the reason for his eleven-year campaign.

As the two fighters stepped together, Kel couldn't quite believe it was happening. They'd actually survived long enough to orchestrate a fight between Maggur and Alex. Now that her turn in the proceedings was over, fear washed over Kel. There was nothing she could do other than watch, and pray to every god she knew that Alex would win this fight.

At the first clash of metal Kel jumped, and half wished she could bury her face in her hands until it was all over. She felt sick to the very core and was starting to feel dizzy with blood loss. The fight was starting slowly, Kel supposed she should try and bandage her wounds in case she was required to fight afterwards and set about doing so. This was made difficult by the fact that she could not tear her gaze away from the fight.

Maggur's sword was slightly longer than Alex's and crashed into the Kethlun-forged blade with a fearful power. Despite not known for leading his troops into battle, Maggur was obviously an extremely talented fencer, probably explaining why he'd been selected to train the Rathhausak children all those years ago.

She was so nervous Kel could barely remember to breathe, let alone think straight. Wild thoughts rushed through her head. What would happen if she simply ran over and killed Maggur, or created a huge distraction? _No_ a sensible part of her mind whispered, this was a fight Alex_ had_ to win on his own.

She wondered dimly if Rhonda was watching from the realms of the dead, or Jacqui, or even Tor as that's undoubtedly where their friend now was. What about the thousands, hundreds of thousands of nameless others who'd never lived to see this day...

Both fighters were now bleeding slowly from nicks and gashes and the floor looked slippery with blood. Kel barely stifled a cry as the tip of Maggur's sword slashed Alex's calf. The fight couldn't go on much longer, both men looked fair exhausted; would this turn into a contest of who could resist passing out from blood loss first?

Alex attacked in a whirlwind, although Kel could see how much his damaged leg was troubling him; his footwork looked slow and laboured in comparison to the darting blade in his right hand. Alex's sword grazed Maggur's left hand side, and dark blossomed through the expensive red tunic.

He struck high, and low, a butterfly sweep, they locked swords, Alex spun away, feinted right, he was giving it everything he had. In one last, desperate move Alex lunged forward, ignoring the blade that bit into his left arm, he bought his sword into an opening left by Maggur and smashed the blade away with such force that Maggur was knocked off balance. The king lost his footing for but half a second on the blood-wet floor and Alex heaved his sword around to cleave Maggur's head clean off it's body.

It was a messy death, the body slumping to the floor, gushing lifeblood, whilst the blood head, a look of surprise on its imperious features landed with a horrible thump, some metres to the right.

Alex's sword clattered to the floor, and he and the rest of those present stood immobile, as though time had simply frozen. There was no thunderclap, the gods didn't appear in a blaze of light and the earth didn't shake. And yet they stood, stunned by the enormity of what had happened.

'Long...live...the...King,' someone called, their deep voice ringing out across the chamber.

One by one, the men and women fell to their knees, and raised their fists in a familiar salute.

Alex remained frozen, blood trickling from his various injuries, staring at the kneeling warriors and the decapitated corpse in astonishment. Kel, who had not kneeled, stumbled forward, sheathing Courage and broke into a heavy run. Whilst an emphatic hug somewhat broke the decorum of the moment, she sensed it was what Alex needed right now. He didn't return Kel's embrace, his arms were still hanging limply by his side. When Kel pulled back, Alex's face wore an expression of almost bewilderment.

'Alex you did it,' Kel clutched his face with bloody hands. Alex nodded, his eyes still wide and staring. 'Yes,' he said slowly. 'We did it.' And he turned slowly on the spot, surveying the fighters present. Some of Maggur's men, perhaps fearing Alex's wrath stood up and fled. Everyone else remained kneeling.

Alex slowly limped over to Maggur's head, and rolled it over with his foot. He was becoming more and more animate by the second. Kel was relieved, she'd been worried that Alex was going into shock. She beckoned for one of the gifted men, who she knew to have a healing gift. The new King of Scanra allowed the worst of his wounds to be healed, before striding over to Maggur's men.

'I won't demand your service,' Alex had found his voice. 'But I will demand your loyalty. We have a chance here, for Scanra to rise out of the ruin it's become. When the sun rises, the Tortallans will withdraw from our soil and our great country will be at peace once more. We _will _ rebuild our homeland, our clans, our culture. There will be healers and hospitals for the sick, education for the young, if our southern brothers have enough to teach at a university then so do we. There'll be easy trade with our neighbours, farms and fisheries reinstated to feed our growing nation. Families and villages will be reunited. Mothers and wives will mourn no more the loss of their men on the southern battle fields. And I swear before you now, in the name of blessed Yahzed that I will lead Scanra to a better future.' The men present hung on his every word, hardly able to believe such a place could exist and yet longing with all their might for it to become a reality. 'I need your help,' Alex finished simply. 'Help me rebuild our land.'

* * *

It took a while for Maggur's men to swear blood oaths of fealty to Alex and to remove their red shirts. Alex's new warriors would wear their white shirts, a single blood red hand printed on the front.

Kel was exhausted and more injured than she'd previously realised. In addition to the gashes that were slowly stopping bleeding, she was aching all over where her mail had protected her from swings and blows of enemy swords. However it didn't stop her leaping up to join the volunteers who'd sweep the castle for any remnants of Maggur's forces or those who were injured but alive. With Maggur's head on a spike ahead of them, like some grizzly pennant, they set off through the castle.

It was strangely deserted, men had either fled or followed Maggur to the great hall. Some corridors were as untouched as if there hadn't been an invasion of the garrison that night, whilst others floors were littered with bodies.

It was always a grim task, searching through bodies; easing those who were beyond help to the Black God's realm and transporting the lucky few back to Alex's healers. To Kel's astonishment Tor was still alive, barely. His neck and leg both had nasty wounds but Kel presumed, by some luck of the gods themselves, major arteries had been missed. Kel wanted to accompany the men that carrier the large Scanran to the healers, but she couldn't, she still had a task to do.

The garrison was dark, lit by torches and braziers and the metallic smell of blood was thick in the air. In one room they came across a band of terrified guardsmen, who leapt forward and began to fight in earnest. Kel battered their swords away as best she could without killing any of them. It took Maggur's head and a lot of persuading before the men would lay down their weapons and allow themselves to be escorted into the presence of their new King.

Terrified slaves were also discovered, cowering in kitchens and store cupboards. Kel's men convinced them to join the assembly gathering in the hall.

Once the garrison was clear, they widened their searches, combing through the whole district to root out stragglers. There were several skirmishes and to Kel's horror, one of her men was badly stabbed. She prayed that he wouldn't die, not now they'd got this far.

* * *

The sun rose over a very different Hamrkeng. Alex's fighting force, now dressed in white and numbering nearly two hundred men, processed down into the very heart of the capital. Word spread rapidly spread through the sleepy city and people emerged from their houses, places of work and taverns. Women and men alike were openly weeping. Some knelt to Alex, some jumped and sang with joy. Some were foolish enough to think they could attack Alex whilst he was out in the open.

In the largest square Hamrkeng had to offer, Alex climbed atop a fountain, soaking his breeches in the process. Protected from archers by invisible mage-shields he delivered a similar address to that which he'd given to Maggur's personal guard. He couldn't possibly swear all the cities-people to loyalty, but he felt it was important to show his face, to engage with his populace. He wasn't going to rule from afar, but from right amongst them.

Alex swore to fealty the guards of the city, tasking them with the protection of the people. Alex despite being vulnerable to attack, felt that he didn't need a personal two-hundred strong guard and outlined plans for the soldiers to become the city's guards, watchmen and law-enforcers.

One of the first pressing matters would be to stop the fighting that would imminently be starting up on the southern border. It would take several days to reach the armies, meaning that for now Alex had to rely on mages. Where Alex had found powerful mages, Kel didn't know and she was even more clueless about how he'd managed to persuade them to work for him, but most of Alex's network of mages had convened upon Hamrkeng. From an office in the garrison, they had the daunting task of contacting not only the armies on the border, but other central posts of command in Scanra.

An elderly woman, who seemed to be in charge, pulled Alex and the bearer of Maggur's head to one side.

'Are you ready for this youngling?' she asked, her voice gravelly. Alex nodded.

It took a while to persuade Imar, the first commander that Alex spoke to, that Maggur was indeed dead.

'How do I know you're not a mage tricking me?' It was a fair question.

'Because, if you raise a white flag with a red hand print on,' replied Alex. 'Then the invading Tortallans will pack up their things and leave.' It was the signal that had been agreed between Alex and King Jonathan. 'We will bring Maggur's head down to you as soon as we can to prove beyond all doubt that I am the new King.'

Similar conversations happened with four separate commanders along the breadth of the border.

Imar, still suspicious, but willing to try almost anything to prevent another day of heavy losses on the battle field, personally raised the newly created flag and sat down to wait. It took about half an hour before there were signs from the Tortallan camp. Across the blood-spattered plain, tents and flags were being lowered, packed away.

'Well Yazhed bless me,' Imar breathed in amazement.

* * *

Raoul had not slept well. Bleary eyed, in want of a shave, with his black curly hair unruly from the amount of times he'd run his hands through it, he paced the camp.

'Sir!' At the shout he raced in a wholly undignified manner to the watch post, snatching up the spyglass. Sure enough, despite all the odds, a white flag with a red hand was being raised.

Raoul let out a whoop. Kel and Alex had done it, they'd actually _done it. _He checked again, raising the spyglass to his eye, just to be sure. The flag was still there.

The watchman looked confused. The knight clapped the man jovially on the shoulder and handed him back his spyglass.

'We're going home,' said Raoul simply.

* * *

By the time the sun had set on Alex's first day as King of Scanra, Kel was so exhausted that she could barely think straight. She sat on the steps that led out from the garrison, inhaling the smoke that drifted over from the funeral pyres and was vaguely aware of the sounds of exuberant partying and singing. The people had had precious little to dance about these past few years and seemed to be determined to make up for it.

Not everyone of course was happy with their new King. There'd been two attempts on Alex's life already, which a combination of his guards and mages had halted. Irrespective of the fact that they'd sworn a blood oath, the Guard seemed determined to protect and uphold their new King. That knowledge, coupled with her extreme tiredness, was the reason why Kel had let Alex out of her sight.

She peered up at the inky sky stretching for eons above her. The stars seemed especially bright tonight, welcoming what everyone hoped would be the start of a new era, of peace.

'_There_ you are.'

Kel craned her neck tiredly to face the King of Scanra.

'S'everything alright?' she asked.

'Yes, the envoys and peace emissaries have just left. It's time to sleep.'

Sleep sounded wonderful to Kel, if only she could just doze here...

'Come on,' Alex gently lifted her to her feet. How he still had the energy, Kel didn't know.

Together they stumbled up into the private quarters of the garrison, Alex waving away anyone who offered to help them. Alex tried several doors, aiming to find somewhere that was not already occupied, and that didn't have blood pools on the floor.

'In here,' Alex took a torch from the corridor outside and used it to light the room's fireplace and braziers. 'There's some water here,' he investigated behind a wooden screen. 'Towels, and clean shirts. Perfect.'

Slowly, tiredly, Kel pulled off her filthy, battle-stained clothing, leaving it in a heap by the door. Wearing only her underthings, she padded over to the washbasin and used a sponge to start cleaning the sweat and blood from her body. Her worst injuries had been stitched earlier and now throbbed whenever the stitches tugged on them. Kel dunked her whole head in the bucket once she was done, and wrapped her sodden hair in a towel.

The person who'd once occupied the rooms was larger than she was; the green shirt was almost as big as a nightshirt and she had to tie the breeches at the sides so they didn't fall down. Not that Kel cared at that moment.

Feeling slightly more human now she was clean, although she was still extremely tired, Kel turned to watch Alex exchanging his shirt for a clean one. Their eyes met. Two pairs of red-rimmed, black-bagged hazel eyes.

There weren't words that could express the emotion that passed between the old friends, the siblings. Alex simply held out his arms and Kel all but fell into them. How far had they come since their fateful meeting on a Tortallan road? Who could've imagined that two damaged strangers could literally change the world...

There would be time later for celebrating their achievements, as well as for mourning those who'd been lost. There would be time for reminiscing, and for planning the future. But for now, they curled up together on a king-sized brocade-covered bed, and went to sleep.

* * *

-a/n- So there you have it! The long awaited departure of Maggur =D I hope that lived up to your expectations...

Only two chapters left to go my lovelies...

**Confusedknight xx**

PS feedback of any sort would be SO appreciated. I need a big kick to drive me through the next chapter (there's a lot of loose ends to tie up!)


	82. The future

-a/n- I'm SORRY. Being a vet student leaves very little time for writing! Since I last updated this is only my 2nd full week "holiday" at home. It may be a little rough around the edges, but Fallen's completion is long overdue. Thanks to all who still review/message me, here it is...

**Confusedknight x**

* * *

Whilst it wasn't as much sleep as Kel or Alex needed, it was enough, for now. As the sun crept over the horizon Alex pulled himself from the bed, waking Kel.

'You should rest more.'

Kel made a face and pulled herself upright. 'As should you.'

As stubborn as each other, neither was going to waste the time arguing over it. Alex went over to the window, limping slightly, stiff from his rest, and gazed out across his kingdom. Kel joined him, wincing as her body remembered the abuse it had suffered the previous morning.

'Look at it Kel,' his voice was hushed, tired and yet almost reverent. Orange light spread slowly, illuminating purple streaked clouds and a city that was gently waking, smoke beginning to find its way skywards from the dark buildings spread before them.

'It's such a mess, and yet...'

'The potential,' Kel breathed, her voice rough following sleep. 'She's yours to mould.'

'And mould her we will,' Alex all but whispered.

Kel couldn't fathom the pressure, the expectation that Alex always carried. Even now, with Maggur's head on a spike, he was expected to rebuild the fractured country with scarce help or materials. He was responsible for millions of people, their welfare and livelihoods. How he planned to disband the armies, feed the nation, prevent riots, establish trade, rebuild clans, towns and mines destroyed by fighting, Kel didn't know. She didn't even know where she'd fit into this new world...

Half of her wanted to grab Alex's shoulders and celebrate, to shout in jubilation that they'd set out what they'd aimed to achieve. But the pain of those who'd been lost, sacrificed for a greater cause was still too great. Running deeper than the grief was a relief that seemed to saturate Kel's very bones. She found herself finally able to consider returning to Tortall as a reality. Her heart swelled at the though of seeing Dom again, of her old knight-master Raoul, best friend Neal, even Owen, Wyldon, Lucie, her parents, Lalasa and her many other friends in the Riders and Own. How wondrous it would be to spend time with them without the threat of war or unfulfilled promises hanging over her.

'What do you want me to do?' The question was simple, but referred to so much more than just the day's activities.

Alex looked around at his sister and closest friend.

'Little one, I'd have you leading my armies, training my son, acting as an ambassador, my champion, confidante...' he turned from the sight of Hamrkeng to face Kel for the first time. 'I owe you more than I could ever possibly repay. You'll always have a home here, be honoured as a hero, a champion of Scanra. But you have a life back in Tortall, friends, a family, a job you love...you deserve to be happy.' He stroked Kel's cheek tenderly. 'You'll always be my sister. That's more than enough for me.'

Kel knew in her heart that Alex was right, could even feel small tendrils of homesickness starting to take root. The only thing that was truly keeping her in Scanra now was Alex. Her obligations to this country were finally fulfilled.

She pulled Alex into a tight hug, fighting tears at the thought of leaving him, again.

* * *

The mornings always started with a bewildering haze of meetings. Extensive plans for the running of the country had to be drawn up and men found who could implement them with authority. Scanra was so vast that it would take weeks for emissaries to travel to the northerly populations. For this reason, Alex was using his mage network to communicate with Fassin, who was already placed up north, poised to spring into being a northern hub of Alex's power.

With each passing problem set before them, the enormity of rebuilding a country seemed to grow in Kel's eyes. They had to split tasks into short and long-term issues and then had to find ways of keeping people alive until the longer problems could be rectified.

For example, the slave plantations; - which Alex had vowed to Kel he would disband- if the slaves were simply set free, turfed out from the farm, not only would thousands of men, women and children be without possessions or livelihood, but the rest of the country would suffer food shortages too. For now, they had to settle with drawing up plans to improve welfare on the farms, with a longer term plan to disband the plantations into smaller farms which could be granted to those who knew how to work it best; the slaves themselves.

Similar problems existed with relocating those released from the army. Where would they go? What would they eat if their homes and livelihoods existed no more? The solutions would be complex, but Alex thought he could persuade the majority of the army to continue working for him, not in a fighting capacity, but as a generalised workforce that could be tasked with projects that Alex wanted to start up all over Scanra. These included building safe roads and resurrecting lost towns and villages. In exchange for their service, the men would be given food. It would be inglorious. Alex's only hope at persuading them to take up such an occupation was to try and ignite a sense of patriotism within the downtrodden men.

Kel contributed to these meetings in her quiet, thoughtful manner. She described how the King's Own, whilst primarily a fighting force had built flood defences, cleared towns of mudslides and other menial tasks. She also spoke passionately on setting a deadline for the dissolution of the slave trade. "Make it part of your new culture" she said flatly, "before it becomes more difficult than ever to get rid of such practices."

A diplomat's daughter and a knight of Tortall, Kel also was a great help in writing documents, offers of peace, friendship and trade to Scanra's neighbours; Tortall, Galla, the Yamani Isles and the Copper Isles. There were also invitations to Alex's coronation to be issued, not to mention the organisation and logistics of such an event. Everyone was in agreement that the ascension to the throne should be marked by some sort of occasion; Scanran's did love their festivals after all, but Alex was adamant that the already financially crippled realm would not suffer as a result of the celebrations.

The group of Alex's advisors included those who knew the land best; farmers for agricultural advice, miners, merchant, fur trader, blacksmiths. Real people who would know what it would take to get the country running again. There was not going to be enough food until proper farming systems were in place. Up until then, it would be up to Alex's treasury to buy food from neighbouring countries. Using natural resources that Scanra had a lot of; steel, fur and gems might help to fund food for everyone temporarily. The path to a stable, sufficient economy seemed long and arduous.

* * *

Three weeks had lapsed since Maggur had been overthrown. Her wounds from the terrible final battle had almost healed, but the days had been long and the nights fraught with bad dreams. Kel was exhausted. She'd barely had a moment to herself, and yet surrounded by equally weary advisors and fighters alike, she felt quite alone. Kel hadn't even time to train and already her body felt stiff from lack of exercise, weak from her limited food intake.

If she let her mind drift southwards, Kel was quickly engulfed by a sense of guilt. She'd spent so long working for the situation she now found herself in, and yet all she wanted to do was to return home.

One morning she'd been reunited with her band of Tortallan soldiers, including the five who'd been captured into slavery prior to the battle. They'd gained brands and a few whip marks from the experience but had otherwise managed to keep their heads down and avoid major incident. Of her eighty fighters that had come north, just forty-six remained. The solemnity that hung in the air when they'd gathered together had nearly bought tears to Kel's eyes. In her mind she could see faces that should've been their, men who'd never return to their homeland.

It wasn't long before Alex sought Kel out. He too looked grey and haggard, but his hazel eyes were steely, and fevered with determination. The gods must've been giving him strength that Kel knew not, because he showed no sign of letting up the pace.

They'd just been watching several companies leave Hamrkeng, bound for other clans, tasked with trying to slowly enforce Alex's recently drawn up decrees further afield, when the King spoke to his sister.

'I think it's time.'

Kel opened her mouth to argue. Alex needed every man, or woman, he could get. But he cut across her;

'I have a son in Tortall, who not only needs informing that he is in fact a Prince, but would also benefit from a few lessons in Scanran history,' Alex whispered in Common, so quietly that Kel had to strain to hear. 'I intend to have him at my coronation.'

'But-'

'Kel, you know that I would happily keep you at my side forever and a day, but you take orders from King Jonathan too, and your men deserve to return home. Besides, there's no one I'd rather entrust my son to.'

It made sense, and it wasn't as though Kel was unprepared to leave Alex, not like the first time he'd sent her back to Tortall. They kept their goodbyes short; Kel would be at the coronation after all. She'd been surprised when a handful of men had requested to stay in Hamrkeng. A couple had become caught up in the cause, and whilst Kel had no official capacity to release them from the army, she granted her blessing. Henry also asked to stay behind, though Kel had a suspicion that was more to do with Millyaethan anything else.

So it was, that Kel found herself riding south across the border for the third time in her life, the late summer sun warm on their backs. No longer did Kel have to use the smuggler's services in the dead of night. Instead, the forty Tortallans became some of the first to cross at the new official Vassa crossing. On their borrowed mounts, they rode East to Northwatch.

The tired warriors passed through fiefs and forests. Apart from brief exchanges with border posts and small fortresses along the way, Kel and her men didn't stop, feeling almost like the weariness was the price that had to be paid for being privileged enough to return.

She had no specific instructions, nor had she had any word from Northwatch, but with the war over, it seemed a likely place for the commanders to be discussing the future of Northern defences. Kel's logic was proved right as they started up the long sloping ground to the impressive fort. Many flags flapped enthusiastically in the cool breeze, informing Kel that one of the men she was most desperate to see, Raoul of Goldenlake, was in residence. It had been nearly nine long months since she'd seen the large man who was all but father to her.

Someone on the wall must've sent word or recognised her, because as the band approached the gate, the oak doors swung open. A man behind Kel gave a small cheer and his voice was joined by excited others. Kel turned to Lyssa, who was riding next to her and allowed herself a relieved smile.

'And so our journey ends.'

'We did it, Lady Kel, we did it.'

Kel noted the renewed use of her title, but said nothing of it as the horses trotted smartly into the cobbled courtyard of Northwatch. Knights and soldiers alike were pouring into the yard to greet the new arrivals. Someone began to clap, and suddenly applause was battering Kel's ears. From what had started out as a top secret mission had evidently become general knowledge amongst the army, Own and Riders.

As the horses came to a halt, the masses surged forward, greeting old friends and comrades. Kel dismounted and taking her mount by the reins, continued forward to the official welcome party; General Vanget, as stoic as always, Lord Wyldon quietly approving, Raoul's ruddy face beaming and the Lioness smiling.

Kel had quite run out of words, and stood, immobile, letting the cacophony wash over her. The General, signalled a nearby squire to take Kel's horse.

'Lady Knight, your country owes you it's thanks. We owe you our thanks for ended this cursed war. Come, you must be weary from the road and we have much to discuss.'

Kel nodded and tried to open her mouth to formulate some sort of official reply, but Raoul swept her into a bear hug before she suffered the embarrassment of failing to find words. Something of the familiar scent, the safe embrace revived Kel. She was home.

'We did it,' she murmured in Scanran.

'Praise Mithros, you're safe,' Raoul spoke over her head. Then, shifting her so that she was tucked under one weighty arm, her old knight master led her away. They'd been walking for a minute or so before Raoul burst out, seemingly unable to contain himself any longer, 'Kel I'm betrothed to Buri!'

Kel looked around, the warm sensation of joy seeping through the numbness.

'That's wonderful news my Lord.' Raoul looked too happy to reprimand Kel about the formal title. 'When are you to be married?'

'This Midwinter, if all goes smoothly.' Kel let this news settle in, plans were beginning to form for a post-war life; there would be things to look forward to, life would go on.

'I have to ask,' Kel swallowed, 'Dom, Neal, Owen...?'

'All fine,' replied Raoul warmly. 'And, as far as I'm aware, so are your year-mates and the refugees.' Kel felt a weight lift from her shoulders. They had survived.

'Sir Nealan is out working in local villages, training healers and suchlike with his father. Owen is stationed at Mastiff currently and is due to wed Lucie of Cavall in the Spring.' Kel's heart experienced another powerful wave of joy.

It had been a hard year. Maybe not as physically tough as some of her previous years in Scanra, but mentally, carrying the responsibility of her company against overwhelming odds, the uncertainty followed by exhausting relief amid more uncertainty and the staggering realisation that she had a life beyond the war... But even ten minutes with Raoul had begun to remind her of what it was like to be happy for simple things, to care about smaller things than the fate of a country. Maybe she could even dare to dream of her own future with Dom...

The party reached Vanget's office and took up their seats one by one. A servant was already on hand, pouring pitchers of spiced apple juice and setting out trays of pastries and turnovers for a hungry traveller's benefit.

'My warriors-,' she began.

'Will be well looked after,' Lord Wyldon assured her. 'And there will be a feast tonight with you as the guests of honour.'

The fine food and drink exploded with flavour in her mouth and Kel forced herself to sit up straight, to focus. All eyes were on her as she began to tell the tale of the trip north, being smuggled into the capital, of weeks spent in Lanith's cellar before their moment came.

It took a good hour and a half for Kel to finish her verbal report, and she ended with Alex's request to have his son returned to him and the invitation for Tortallan ambassadors to be present at the coronation of Alexei, the rightful king of Scanra.

'I'll say it again Lady Knight,' said the General, 'We owe you a debt of thanks beyond what we could hope to pay.' He straightened papers on the table before him. 'Is there anything you require of us?'

Kel considered, 'My horse returned from Trebond,' she yawned. 'A bed for the night, and-' meeting Vanget's eyes, '-permission to return for the coronation.'

'I think we can manage that,' said Lord Wyldon.

Kel nodded her thanks.

'Have you thought about a more permanent posting, Kel?' asked Alanna, who'd seemed unusually distracted during the meeting.

'Whilst you'd undoubtedly be a logical choice for Scanran ambassador, we feel you've too much talent on the field to take up a diplomat's role.' Vanget informed her.

Kel nodded, unsure as to whether or not she was disappointed by this news.

'The Own would love to have you,' said Raoul. 'I can't be Knight Commander forever, and whilst I hope I've still got a few years in me yet-'

'It'd be good for you to gain experience, particularly with first and second companies.' Wyldon finished.

Raoul nodded, 'I feel I've favoured third company for too long.'

Hope was dawning somewhere in the depths of Kel's mind. She was to be offered a position doing what she did best, with the people she loved most. She offered a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess. No more secrets, no more unfulfilled vows. Just a job as a knight. Protecting the realm.

* * *

Kel awoke in Dom's arms, a ray of sunlight streaming in across her face. Dust motes swirled lazily by and she breathed in the smell of Autumn mingled with the stronger scent of the man she loved. As content as Kel would've been to lie there for hours, she slid out of bed, pulled on some clothes and reached for Courage with a smile.

'Hello old friend,' she whispered. It had been a long time since Kel had last had the willpower or free time to carry out early morning training drills. The air was fresh, and the sun cast a soft glow across the fort. Kel allowed herself to smile, face upturned to the sun. Things were going to be alright. More than alright.

* * *

'A Prince,' stuttered Tobe, clutching his face in disbelief, quite unaware of the horsemuck that covered his hands. 'I _can't _be.'

Kel waited patiently, almost feeling the boys tumultuous thoughts.

'You say my father wants me to go to him, in Scanra?' Kel nodded sympathetically, this was a lot for the young boy to take in.

'But me studies,' he protested, 'Daine, that is Lady Daine the wildmage, she's been teaching me to _talk _to the horses!'

'There are horses in Scanra,' Kel pointed out. 'And a permanent home for you. Most of Northwatch'll be disbanded come Midwinter.'

'Why's the war have to stop?' asked Tobe, grumpily.

'Because people die in war Tobe,' said Kel sternly. 'Warriors, innocent villagers, even children like yourself. Don't you _ever_ wish for war again.'

Chastised, the boy nodded meekly. Kel sighed, they had a long way to go.

* * *

By the time the end of September rolled around, Kel was feeling a lot more like her old self. Rest and square meals were definitely contributing factors, but the main reasons for her new found energy for life were her friends. No longer was she one woman against the world, but part of a team, and she loved it.

That's not to say the month was a holiday, Kel worked determinedly at not only her fencing, but the other neglected disciplines of jousting, hand-to-hand fighting and archery. Most of her daytime would be spent either completing paperwork with Raoul, drilling soldiers or working with Tobe.

The boy was a reluctant pupil, but respected Kel enough to attend his lessons dutifully. When she was busy, Kel had enlisted the help of Rees and Bert, who'd both been part of her mission north and knew enough Scanran to instruct the boy.

Tobe was more eager to master the sword and Kel had little trouble in holding the boy's attention during those lessons. As he fumbled through steps and passes, Kel had to remind herself that she'd not picked up a sword at the age of ten either. Once in Scanra, Tobe would have some of the very best fencers to teach him, so she was more concerned with cultural and language lessons. Most evenings, they would gather in Raoul's quarters and with Tobe serving drinks, Kel would tell Scanran stories and explain festivals to the boy, with the others listening in.

It was during one such meeting that Kel was eventually reunited with Neal. The green-eyed healer swept her into a delighted hug, apparently for once, lost for words. Kel pounded him on the back, close to tears herself. It was the first time she'd seen her friend since receiving her knighthood.

'I am _so _proud of you,' Neal whispered fiercely in her ear, uncharacteristically serious. He held her at arms length, 'Of all the knights I've met, of all I've read about, none Lady Knight, _none_ have ever deserved their shield more than you.'

Kel didn't know how to respond to this, except to hug her best friend and hope, that in this hazy future she had begun to dream about, there would be plenty of time to spend with Neal of Queenscove. When the emotion of the moment had resided, they settled back into chairs, and conversation resumed until Neal suddenly clapped his hands to his forehead.

'What?' asked Dom, alarmed at his cousin.

'I forgot to say! I'm betrothed! To Yuki!'

'Congratulations!' Kel grinned broadly, whilst Dom clapped Neal's shoulder heartily. 'When did this happen?'

'It was all confirmed last week, but you were the first ones I wanted to tell! Oh, and I should go and find Lady Alanna...Say, is she alright? She was acting quite oddly when I met her earlier.'

'She's been quite distracted since spring,' Raoul replied, his brow furrowed. 'George hasn't been round much, I was presuming she was missing him.'

'Hmm.' Neal didn't look convinced, but returned to his discussion with Owen.

'Kel,' he called over ten minutes later. 'Will you be my best man, er woman?'

Kel nodded, though, not having ever been to a wedding she hadn't a clue what this role entailed.

'Excellent.'

* * *

-a/n- Next chapter will be up shortly, just a wee bit of editing to go!


	83. Finale

-a/n- Without further ado, the very final -gasp- chapter of Fallen. If you've stuck with me through 400,000 plus words, this is dedicated to you.

**Confusedknight x**

* * *

The party heading north to Hamrkeng contained many of Kel's favourite people. Nearly all forty of her warriors had elected to return for the coronation, as had Eron, Isra, Hal and Meah. Kel had hoped that the diplomatic party would contain Prince Roald, but evidently the King did not trust his new allies far enough to send his firstborn son north. Instead, it was Alanna in her official capacity as Champion and Duke Gareth of Naxen who acted as head of the Tortallan representatives. Raoul and Third Company had been chosen to accompany them, just in case.

Other various officials and counsellors had been sent to draw up trade agreements, and Lord Wyldon, acting as commander of the north, was also present to finalise details of the border and new crossings. Neal had somehow managed to wangle permission to attend, along with various other knights, recently released from their posts and eager to see the new northern King for themselves.

For once, Kel was not in charge of navigating their way up through the hill country and enjoyed the ride, especially now she'd been reunited with Prince. Comfortably dressed in Mindelan-blue attire, with warm quilted jackets for night and a tent over her head, never had Kel experienced such luxury in scanran lands.

* * *

The familiar city came into view, almost tripled in size by a sprawling maze of refugees housed in tents and lean-to's fashioned from whatever the people could find. A welcome party of forty or so warriors rode out to meet them, long before they neared the city. Several of the Tortallan soldiers tensed at the approach despite their reception so far in Scanra being free from trouble.

'Brothers from the south,' it was Tor who spoke in common, gesturing with his remaining hand, 'You are most welcome.'

'We are pleased indeed to be here,' replied Alanna, her violet eyes surveying the motley band of soldiers that constituted the guard party.

It seemed that the exchange was as formal as the greeting was going to get, for Tor immediately broke rank to ride up to Kel. They hugged, despite both still being mounted.

'Blood-sister,' he greeted in Scanran, raising a salute to Kel, which was mirrored by his soldiers. 'Long will you be welcome here, what we have is yours.'

'It's good to see you' replied Kel. 'How goes things?'

Tor turned his mount and indicated that they should ride up to Hamrkeng, tucking his mount in next to Kel's. Some of the older officials and counsellors looked mildly scandalised at the informal greeting, but Kel found the lack of formal display and diplomacy a welcome change from Tortall. Others, who were less familiar with her story, were looking confused at the respect and awe the Scanrans seemed to have for the green knight.

'Things are as well as can be expected,' Tor answered. 'Life has settled a bit since you left us. We have more officials and governors in place, which is allowing us to delegate responsibility.'

'That must be a welcome relief.'

Kel observed that Tor had regained some of his former muscle mass, despite the near-fatal injury he'd sustained in the raid. In fact, he looked better than he had done in years.

'It is Kel. And once this coronation happens I will be returning to rebuild Somalkt. Come spring we will plant, re-open the mines...' he grimaced at Kel. 'We just have to survive the winter.'

'And how is Alex?'

'Doing better,' Tor assured her. 'He's learning that a near-exhausted King is no use to anyone.'

As they passed through the gates of the city, Kel glanced up and shuddered at Maggur's skull still displayed on a spike, picked clean long ago by birds.

Tor followed her gaze. 'We will remove it on the day Alex is crowned.'

Since most of Alex's soldiers were off repairing and securing the realm, there was plenty of space for both Third company and their mounts within Hamrkeng itself. Tor was conversing in common with Raoul about the organisation of stabling, leaving Kel with Neal.

'Quite different from Rathhausak, isn't it,' commented Neal, almost surprised to find a proper city rather than an isolated castle. Kel nodded as she dismounted, she knew almost every street of this twisting, mysterious city.

There was a tap on her arm. She turned to find the king of Scanra, dressed plainly, grinning fondly at her.

Words weren't needed, but a big hug was, and Kel embraced her brother and friend.

'You are well little one?'

'Very,' Kel replied.

'Where is my son?' this question was quieter -Tobe's identity was still fairly secret.

'Over there, helping with the horses.'

Neal stepped forward and stuck out his hand. 'Neal.'

Alex raised an eyebrow at Kel, 'The Neal?'

Kel chuckled, 'Alex, Neal, Neal, Alex.'

Neal's jaw dropped. '_The _Alex? As in, soon to be king Alex?' His hand hung frozen in the air.

'I take it northerners have a different idea of what a king looks like than you southerners,' he said wryly, but shook Neal's proffered hand anyway.

'Your common is very good,' Neal said lamely, looking like his brain was still trying to marry up the picture of Alex that he'd evidently held in his head with the casually dressed young man in front of him.

'You are a good friend to my sister,' said Alex. 'I hope that in time, we too can be friends, but for now you must excuse me. Kel, Tobeis?'

'It might be a good idea if I bring him to you,' said Kel. 'He's understandably a bit overwhelmed by the situation.'

A flash of guilt passed across Alex's face and Kel knew that the Scanran would always blame himself for the ten years he'd missed out on raising his son. She hoped dearly that Alex would never find out the exact details of Tobe's miserable life in Queensgrace.

Kel wove her way through the crowds to the small blonde boy.

'Tobe,' she called.

He deftly looped the lead rope he'd been holding through an iron ring outside a stable and trotted swiftly over. 'Yes milady.'

'I've someone who wants to meet you.' And with a guiding arm around his shoulder, she delivered her charge to his father. Neal's jaw dropped for the second time as he spotted the family resemblance and finally understood why Kel took such an interest in the boy.

'Hello Tobeis,' said Alex hoarsely.

Tobe looked at Kel, bewildered even though she'd explained many times that she was to return him to his father.

'But how do you know?' he said plaintively. 'Some peoples just pretend to be family, so's they can steal you away.'

'Tobe,' Kel's eyes were gentle. 'I swear, on my honour as a Knight of the Realm, that this is your father. And a greater man I've never known.' She pushed the boy gently towards Alex, who opened his arms wide. Tobe hesitated for only a fraction of a second before throwing himself at his father and breaking down in wracking sobs, clinging so tightly that Kel wondered if he'd ever let go. Alex too was weeping openly and Kel turned away from the emotion of the moment. It felt complete. Alex had his son back, a new protégée to replace the one who'd long outgrown his care.

* * *

Kel didn't see much of Alex that afternoon in the melee of settling the Tortallans into their quarters and acting as translator and general mediator between Alex's officials and the delegation. Nor did she seem him at dinner, but Fassin, whom Kel was happy to see alive and well after his stint in the north of the country, informed her that he was liaising via magelink with some other clan hubs.

It felt strange, not being included in such meetings, but this was the choice she'd made. Alex had managed to stand on his own plenty of times before when she'd been away, why would now be any different?

Tired from their travels, most Tortallans retired to their rooms early, Dom unashamedly accompanying Kel to her quarters.

They were sitting before a gently burning fire, cuddled together, Kel telling stories of her previous exploits in Hamrkeng, when there was a soft knock.

'Little one?' Alex's head poked around the door.

'Hello, come in,' said Kel quite unnecessarily for Alex had already invited himself into her room.

'Sorry, I did not realise you would have company.'

'It's alright,' replied Kel. 'You two should have met long ago. Alex, this is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle of the King's Own. Dom, King Alexei.'

Dom got up from the seat to shake Alex's hand. The gesture lasted fractionally longer than it should have done, blue eyes locked on hazel. Kel cleared her throat slightly and the tension subsided. Dom sat back down, his arm protectively around Kel's shoulders and Alex pulled a stool over to perch on.

At first, conversation felt awkward. It had been a long time since Kel had had a proper conversation with Alex in common tongue, and any references to Scanra seemed to leave Dom excluded, whilst talking about the situation in Tortall left Alex quiet and redundant. Gradually things settled and talk turned to the future.

Kel informed Alex of her new position as a knight of the King's Own, promising that as soon as she had leave, she would take a fast ship north. Alex was pleased for her, and absolutely refused to let Kel return Prince to him.

'He's yours sister. A mount worthy of a Lady Knight.'

In truth, Prince was a mount worthy of a King, but they'd been so far, done so much together, Kel couldn't bring herself to argue.

'And what of you?' Alex turned to Dom. 'Are you a man worthy of a Lady Knight?'

'_Alex!'_ Hissed Kel, irritated that he would question her judgement on such a matter. But Alex didn't withdraw his question, looking Dom straight in the eye.

'Is any man ever going to be worthy of Kel?' Dom asked simply. 'She's the most honourable knight, talented leader and most wonderful woman I've ever met. It didn't take me long, five years ago, before I even knew her true name to see that she was someone very special. If she asks I'd give up my job to marry her, I'd give up anything for her.'

Kel's throat constricted and she laid a tender hand over Dom's. 'I don't need to be able to marry you to know that I want to live out my days at your side. Yes it's unconventional, but when have I ever followed _their_ customs?'

'Then you have my blessing,' said Alex, smiling at his sister. 'May Yazhed bless you both and your children for generations to come.'

* * *

It was quite unlike what anyone could've imagined a coronation to be like, and yet at the same time it was Scanran to it's very core. Alex had told Kel they'd be following a procedure that closely resembled that of the investiture of a clan chief. There would be songs, there would be dancing, there would be the illusion magic for which Scanran mages were so accomplished and there would be oaths sworn and tales told. The whole prospect was tremendously exciting and yet at the same time Kel was terrified for Alex's safety. However since this was no longer her responsibility, she just had to trust the guards and mages tasked with his protection.

Those not privileged enough to gain a seat on the floor of the great hall in Hamrkeng lined the cities courtyards, piled into streets, even tens of thousands had gathered outside the city gates, each hoping for a glimpse of the one person onto which all their hope and dreams were pinned.

The noise had been crescendoing all day, but within the hall, amongst the gathered two thousand or so that included the Tortallan delegation, there was a still, quiet expectancy. As they sat waiting, all eyes were on Alex. He was dressed in a plain linen shirt and brown breeches. No tunic, no cloak, no armour, just his sword at his waist. He was facing away from the crowd, staring at a plain iron altar at the head of the hall. Lining the walls from the front of the crowd to the altar were the mages and other individuals involved in the ceremony. Kel had left the Tortallans near the front of the onlookers and joined Marthea and Tor at the side.

Slowly, they heard the noise outside change from an exciting hubbub to a quiet murmur, then mournful wails could be heard. Drummers began to beat steady rhythms and the tension in the hall increased even more than Kel would've thought possible.

Alex's voice soared across the hall, with the assistance of the mages to magnify the noise, as he began a song of remembrance, a song of respect to the fallen. Moments later the doors at the back of the hall opened, emitting the noise from the rest of the city, as fourteen flag bearers processed in, one to represent the dead of each clan. Alex's song increased in intensity, and Marthea joined in, raw emotion spilling from her throat. The congregation began to sing, until the noise within the hall seemed to thunder through Kel's heart. Tears began to pour from her eyes, as painful memories of those lost surfaced once more. Kel added her agonised voice to the others and felt a sense release rise slowly with the music.

Up at the front, the flags were laid upon the altar and Alex set fire to them as one might a body on a funeral pyre. It was a ceremony for all those who'd been lost, never properly acknowledged before the gods. It took a long time for the voices to die away, but eventually quiet settled again, somehow more peaceful than before.

When the musicians started up again, it was a steady background noise over which Marthea spoke.

'We are here to tell the tale of Alexei of Rathhausak, and ask the gods to judge whether he is worthy to be the leader of our country.'

A line of mages, with their hands interlinked slowly stepped forward. The first placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, and the story began.

The illusions that filled the air above Alex were powerfully clear, a visual guide to the account of his life. Kel saw, for the first time, the faces of Alex's family; his parents, brothers and sisters who'd been so cruelly torn away one fateful day in Rathhausak. Particularly heartbreaking was the innocent face of little Sammy, dead in Alex's arms. It was a good thing Marthea was narrating because floods of tears were spilling from Alex's closed eyes, as he led the mages further down the path of his life.

He fled south under Rhonda's care and Annie appeared, all rosy-cheeks and laughing eyes. All too soon Rhonda, her eyes hate-filled, was pleading with Alex to return to the country he'd left behind. Kel drank in the details of the woman's dark face, details that time had erased from her memories.

Then Alex was meeting with various people, observing the effect Maggur was having on the country, quietly taking over, his poisonous tendrils spreading wider. Before long Kel watched her eleven-year old self being tied to a post and beaten, and then as she trudged away from the village like a dog with it's tail between its legs, Alex challenging her to shown him what she could do. She didn't want to turn around and see the reactions of the Tortallans who would recognise exactly who the small girl was.

'_Teach me to fight.' _ Four words that had changed the course of her life, the course of history.

From that moment on Kel wove in and out of the story. Alex's timeline wasn't exactly linear, focussing on some events more than others. She spotted herself at the battle in the pass at Sekholm, looking from the outside ridiculously small in comparison to her fellow warriors.

The tale wasn't pretty; the illusions demonstrated that what might've made a thrilling tale when told by mouth, was actually was full of blood, sweat and tears of innocent people. Village's found ravaged, rebels blowing up mines, starving peasants, the horror of the slave plantations. As Kel was rescued from the dead Idan's arms, she had to turn away for a moment; memories of that place making her feel sick.

Some chapters sped by faster than others, and all too soon came the Battle of the bloody plains, where Tor joined the character set. Battle scenes flashed past their eyes, Kel leading a charge, the city battered by burning blazebalm missiles and then, the quiet albeit historic moment when four friends had printed their bloody hands onto a flag. '_For Somalkt", "For Rathhausak", "For Scanra", "For the people."_

Kel's voice soared out of Alex's memory, a slender figure with a wrist hanging at an odd angle, blood spattered and filthy, hope lifting suddenly in every heart even as the city came under a barrage of more catapults and decapitated heads. Rhonda's death, sudden and brutal...The drummers and musicians continued to fill the background, and the odd lamenting voice joined them as further along the years they travelled. More places, more faces, more strikes against Maggur, more death.

Kel stretched her arm forward to one of the mages, knowing her time had arrived. Even as ungifted as she was, Kel could feel the magic thrumming through her as her attack on Maggur's castle was shown to the masses. She bought the killing machines to the front of her mind, and how when killed, the spirits within would ask for their mothers. She fell down the stairs dispatching Stenmun and hobbled forward ingloriously to finish Blayce.

Alex took over again to lead them through the final preparations and assault on the castle. When Maggur's head landed with a thump in the illusion, a roaring broke out until applause shook the chamber in which the final outcome of the last ten years had been decided.

The illusion died and as Alex turned back to the iron altar, the music swelled in intensity. Marthea began to sing over him in ancient Scanran that even Kel struggled to understand. Alex knelt, unsheathing his sword. The scanrans joined in with the traditional words and Kel stepped forward.

She took Alex's sword and as she'd been instructed, cut his hand till blood dripped down the blade. Alex made no sound, there was no recognition of Kel in his eyes. Kel laid the bloody sword on the altar, and stepped back.

The chanting song continuing in the background, Alex knelt. Time seemed to stand still.

Then a bright presence that burned Kel's eyes, temporarily blinding her, appeared suddenly. When it was gone, Alex was standing, sword in hand, the blade devoid of blood. On his arm was a shield, blood red in colour, with a mountain emblazoned at the centre and four white hands reaching in towards it.

'Yahzed has declared him King Alexei of Scanra.' Shouted Marthea jubilantly.

And there Alex stood, with no crown or fancy dress to distinguish him, yet radiating a god-given authority. The Scanrans got to their knees, bowed in fealty to their new King. Alex watched the room for a minute, his face calm. Then he beckoned Kel and Tor forward.

They both walked shakily towards their friend and knelt. Alex pressed his blood covered hand, first to Kel's white shirt and then to Tor's, right over their hearts.

'In the witness of all who are gathered here today, I name Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan and Torrien of Somalkt, my blood siblings.'

Alex then beckoned to Tobe and pressed a bloody palm to Tobe's forehead. 'And I present to you my son and heir Tobeis. May Yazhed continue to bless our Kingdom and build us into the great nation of our forefathers. I swear to you again, that I will lead Scanra to a better future, with your help.'

He saluted the hall, who returned the gesture emphatically. It was then that the festivities really started. Alex led them in the first song of celebration, before, surrounded by his guard and mages he set off onto a journey down through the city to the wall, to give the people a chance to view their new king.

Watching the adoring Scanrans reach for their new king, faces overjoyed despite tracks from recent tears still visible on their cheeks, Kel felt laughter bubbling up from deep within her, a sort of hysterical giggle which was the culmination of more emotions that she had the energy to process. She turned and picked her way back through the crowd to her Tortallan friends. Most were looking bemused at the whole experience, the ones who knew Kel best still looked flabbergasted.

'Kel,' breathed Raoul, lost for words.

'You told us-' gulped Neal, 'But...'

'You were so young.' Dom's blue eyes were bright with tears.

'There were many more that paid a higher price for the freedom of this country than I did.' Said Kel sadly. 'We must honour their sacrifice with our choices in the present.'

'Wise words, Lady Knight.' Lord Wyldon nodded his affirmation.

'What is a blood-sibling?' Dom wanted to know.

'It is an old Scanran tradition of honouring someone,' Kel replied, 'Bringing them into your family.'

'So you're a Princess now? Neal asked, his green eyes wide.

Kel shrugged, 'Tor and I have long been sibling's to Alex. It's like...' she cast around trying to explain the deep bond that would always exist between herself and Alex, no matter the distance between them, 'like being King's Champion, but without the official , if Alex were to die before Tobe is grown then we would be honour-bound to raise Tobe in his stead...'

The Tortallans looked confused and Kel didn't blame them, it was hard to put into words her feelings towards Alex that went beyond the love that she felt for Dom, beyond the regard she had for Raoul, beyond even the friendship of Neal that was so precious. It was bond of shared experiences, of being bound up in something so much greater than yourself, one might even suggest a bond bought together by the gods themselves.

'The King will have to be informed,' said Duke Gareth, who'd also been listening to the conversation.

Kel shrugged, in this moment honestly not caring a whit.

At that moment Fassin appeared, a broad grin across his Bazhir features.

'Kel! You must come dance!' He gestured over to a group that included Lanith, Millyae, Henry, Isra, Hal and Eron with Meah on his shoulders.

Kel allowed herself to be pulled away into the joyful crowd. The Scanrans certainly knew how to celebrate.

* * *

Aly's surroundings swam into clarity and she recognised it was waking dream, like she'd had before. She turned and sure enough there was Kyprioth, all bright colours and jingling bells. Rolling her eyes in a most unladylike fashion at the god, she examined the great cavernous hall in which she found herself standing. She didn't recognised it as belonging in Corus, although she recognised several people in the vision.

Her mother for one was viewing the festivities from a bench at the side, looking tired and more worn than Aly had ever seen her. It was with a pang that she saw her mother slide the top of her sword from it's scabbard and surround it with a cloud of violet fire, attempting to scry.

'Yes, she's been doing that a lot lately.' Observed Kyprioth.

'And you've still been hiding me,' Aly accused.

'Well, it wouldn't do for them to charge in here and fish you out before our wager was through now, would it?'

'But she's worried, can't you see!' Aly made to step towards the Lioness, but caught herself when she realised that it would do no good.

Turning her attention back to the scene at hand, she spotted Uncle Raoul, also avoiding the wild dancing, sat next to Lord Wyldon and a number of other stuffy representatives dressed in King Jonathan's colours.

The music that filled the chamber was raucous, rhythms pulsated through her body and the joyous shouts that rent the air lifted her heart. Men, women and children sang and danced with great exuberance, sometimes in patterns that looked planned, but mostly just moving their bodies to the beats that played on their souls.

'Where am I?' Aly asked. If she had to hazard a guess, from the blonde hair of many of the rooms occupants she would have said Scanra. But Aly had no idea why her mother and a number of other prominent Tortallans would be partying at Maggur's expense.

'This is the great hall in Hamrkeng,' replied Kyprioth. 'But three months after Maggur was overthrown.'

'Maggur was overthrown?' breathed Aly. This news had yet to reach the Balitang household, isolated as they were.

'By the work of that man-' Kyprioth pointed to a blonde man in his late twenties, 'and that woman-' the woman was dressed in a pale blue tunic, a well-used sword at her waist. Both moved with a fighters ease, faces overjoyed, radiating happiness from their hazel eyes.

'Do you recognise her?' Kyprioth asked, gesturing to the woman.

Aly drew closer and inspected the crest embroidered on her tunic. It was that of Mindelan, but with distaff borders. This dancing woman was Tortall's second lady knight.

'It's Keladry of Mindelan,' she answered, 'We met once.'

'And climbed down a chimney, yes, I remember it well.' Aly scowled at Kyprioth's all-knowledgeable tone.

Aly looked back at the Lady Knight, fascinated by the woman her mother had often so wished Aly could be.

'Hang on,' she adjusted her Sight. 'She's _pregnant!_'

'Ah yes,' said Kyprioth. 'I'm not sure she's in possession of that information yet. I do believe a careless mage has removed the magic of her anti-pregnancy charm.'

Aly winced, and then returned to the more serious topic of conversation.

'But how did she? What? _How?' _Everyone knew the story of Keladry's disappearance.

'Her years of absence were spent fighting underground for Alexei of Rathhausak, the currently proclaimed King of Scanra. And you know what?' Kyprioth's eyes gleamed with an emotion deeper than his usual mirth. 'They overthrew the tyrant with but a handful of fighters. It _can_ be done. If you've the mind, if you've the nerve.'

And the dream-vision faded away, "_it can be done, it can be done" _echoing in Aly's head.

* * *

Kel spun around, her face flushed from dancing, voice hoarse from singing and found herself in the arms of Dom.

'I am _so _ proud of you my love, this is your doing,' he panted, blue eyes dazzling. 'Look at them all, I just can't explain-'

'Freedom. This is what freedom looks like.' She was drawn into a tender embrace of the man she loved enough to spend the rest of her life with. Over Dom's shoulder she caught a pair of hazel eyes. The rest of the room seemed to still and an unspoken thought passed between the two. _We did it._

Fin.

* * *

Can you believe it? It's actually _done. _31/8/13 - the day Fallen came to an end. And you know, I can still remember the day it all started. It was 12/03/06, and I was lying in bed, utterly miserable because I had a fever and two battered knees I'd gained whilst losing a hockey cup final match the day before. I was flicking through my mp3 player when I came across Afterglow, the Sarah McLachlan album, and listened to the first track; Fallen. It finished and I played it again, ideas began to burst into existence.

I'd always wanted to write a credible 'kel-gets-kicked-out' fic, not least because I'd always wanted to read one! But honestly, when I started this I had no idea what a marathon journey it would become. I'd love to say I had it all planned out, but Scanra didn't even spring into being until I was a good few chapters in. Then this giant new plot exploded, telling the story from the Scanran point of view, which I still wanted to more or less fit into canon time and events. I think my lack of plan was probably how it ended up so long -not sure I'd have ever started a planned 400,000 word project! But I encourage you to have a go yourself, write that first chapter, every story starts somewhere :)

It's been such a journey, thank you so much for embarking on it with me. I don't think I'd have bothered with chapter 2 if no one had expressed an interest in my tale. Fanfiction really is the best place to practice your writing, so thank you for all your help, constructive criticism and encouragement. Especially, if you've stuck with me since the beginning -it's nearly been seven years can you believe?

Slavery has been a large theme in this story, so can I just quickly make you aware that there are currently more slaves in our world than have ever been before. 27 million. Every hour 120 people are enslaved, 30 of which are children. This world, our world, is looking for Kel-like people to rise up and take a stand for those victims. You don't need to start a revolution, but everyone can do something. Raise awareness, raise funds, get involved...

I was fourteen when I started to plan Fallen. It's been such a constant thing I've grown up with through school, college, undergrad but I'm glad that now with just two busy years of vet school left, I don't feel guilty for not updating! I could go on writing Kel's story forever, till she was old and grey with children, and then her children's children...but I'll leave their stories up to your imaginations ;)

I'm sure I'll return to writing someday, when time allows, but really, thanks, it's been so much fun.

God bless you all,

Jo xox

PS. I'd love to hear your final thoughts on Fallen ;)


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